


Make Them Gold

by liziscribbles, NCVega



Category: Code Vein (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Gender Dysphoria, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Physical Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Implied/Referenced Suicide attempt, Internalized Biphobia, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Semi-Slow Burn, Trans Male Character, Twin Protagonists, alcohol use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 13:14:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 44
Words: 224,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21639196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liziscribbles/pseuds/liziscribbles, https://archiveofourown.org/users/NCVega/pseuds/NCVega
Summary: What Rin and Aria Frey expected to find when they packed up and went off to college was an education and a chance at a better life.What they didn't expect was for the experience to dredge up dozens of issues they'd long thought buried.  They also never expected to meet two amazing guys like Louis Amamiya and Yakumo Shinonome amidst the disaster that is their lives.  Between battling unresolved inner demons and maybe, possibly, falling in love, the twins' freshman year of college promises to be an eventful one.
Relationships: Louis & Protagonist (Code Vein), Louis & Yakumo Shinonome, Louis/Protagonist (Code Vein), Protagonist/Yakumo Shinonome, Yakumo Shinonome & Protagonist
Comments: 141
Kudos: 52
Collections: The Frey Twins Saga





	1. Rin (I)

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the college au that nobody asked for but we did it anyway! Lizi and I had an idea and we ran for the hills with it. This bad boy took us about a month to write (the first draft anyway) and now we're 10 chapters into a 44 chapter disaster. Sorry, not sorry. This story was/still is a fun, self-indulgent project and we're excited to take everyone on the journey with us!
> 
> I know the tags may look scary, but they are all previous events that will only be REFERENCED throughout the story. 
> 
> We hope you guys enjoy the Frey twins as much as we do!
> 
> Here is what the twins look like: [Aria Frey](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CvrfMKJ9E3U7kqXq0Gy9VrtRHzZvSw58/view) | [Rin Frey](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h7spH2wY2_DvgvOlyPaAoXqHxVugFSE-/view)

The maisonettes on the outskirts of Vein University’s campus are lined up like small cookie-cutter houses. They’re all brown, made of some species of wood that Rin doesn’t care to remember, and weather-worn from years of standing up against rain, wind, snow and the occasional hail. The houses are surprisingly spaced out. Instead of having them lined up together like townhouses, as he expected they would be, they’re at least a few feet apart. From where he stands, Rin can count the first row of houses. It’s ten in the front and what he imagines is ten in the back. The pattern repeats for at least two more blocks, all the way down to the school’s massive parking lot. 

Vein University’s housing complex is unusual, from what Rin understands. The campus  _ does  _ have dorms, and they’re located on the far right side of the school’s grounds. The three buildings that stand side by side right at the top of the hill is where Rin expected he and his twin sister, Aria, would be living. He wasn’t expecting  _ this _ .

The maisonettes are not big. They’re only two stories, if barely, but the front yard is surprisingly neat and the small porch is cute. They’re ugly compared to the beautiful houses outside of campus grounds, which isn’t a surprise. This is one of the better parts of town after all. Still, to Rin, these apartment duplexes might as well be luxurious mansions. 

After the past two years, Rin didn’t think he’d ever find himself in school again, let alone with Aria by his side. It felt more like a pipe dream then and it still sort of does, in a way. Standing in front of 7B’s old, worn wooden porch is a surreal experience. He takes a step forward, his dark violet eyes drawn to the first step as it creaks under his weight. He can’t fight the grin that works its way on his lips.

He’s led into the home by their tour guide, a slender but polite young man with a fringe of hair covering the right side of his eye. Despite being only able to see half his face, the young man’s visible eye is penetrating. It’s red, like the color of old, dusty bricks, and every time the young man’s attention turns Rin’s way, Rin’s cheeks grow hot under his unwavering gaze. The tour guide’s name is Louis—if Rin is remembering correctly—and so far, he’s been nothing but informative and somewhat impersonal. 

Unfortunately for Louis, Rin hasn’t really been paying much attention. Not because the tour is boring, but because Rin just  _ can’t  _ focus. Louis is… distracting. He’s distracting in a way Rin isn’t sure he’s willing to admit. As he lingers behind Louis and Aria, Rin traces the length of Louis’ broad shoulders with an inquisitive gaze. He’s a little jealous truth be told. Louis’ broad shoulders are something Rin won’t be able to achieve no matter how much he wishes for them. It’s just not in his genetics, sadly. 

He snaps out of his thoughts when he realizes Aria’s eyes are on him. He blinks and shrugs, hoping his sister doesn’t expect anything from his prolonged staring.

Stepping into the duplex, Rin takes a moment to really take it in. The decor is god awful. Plain beige carpets adorn the small living room, undecorated bland white walls stretch around the room and from where he stands, Rin can just barely make out the neutral colored, utterly boring wallpaper that lines the kitchen. He makes a face the same time Aria does. They’re both disgusted, but also incredibly grateful.

Louis’ light chuckle fills the empty space.

“Sorry for the poor choice in decoration,” He says, crossing his arms against his chest. “But it’s school regulation. They all look like this on the inside.”

Aria takes a look around the empty living space. “It looks like someone’s grandma threw up in here,” She quips.

“That’s putting it nicely,” Rin mutters, side-eyeing the painfully bare white walls.

“Well, I didn’t wanna be  _ rude  _ or anything.”

Louis shakes his head. He watches the twins circle around the empty living room as though they were examining every nook and cranny of the place, which isn’t much. “It’s fine. You two aren’t the first to comment on the decor. The boarding committee is already aware.”

“Eh, it’s not the worst place we’ve lived, right, Sunshine?”

Rin hums noncommittally, turning his attention toward the bay window. It’s one of the few features, outside of the front lawn, that really attracts his attention. He isn’t sure why, but there’s something about having a bay window that makes him feel…  _ warm _ . He glances over his shoulder toward Aria and Louis and says, “To be honest, this place is heaven compared to our, uh, previous arrangements.” He internally grimaces. It sounds almost like he’s ungrateful for Coco’s appearance in their lives, but it’s not her small apartment that he’s thinking of.

It’s the place  _ before  _ her, the home that was never a home. He tries not to dwell on it and shoves the thought aside, but it’s too late. Louis’ curiosity is piqued. He tilts his head slightly to the side, his eye focused on Rin: “Oh?”

It isn’t him who speaks, but Aria:

“Yeah. I mean, it was fine with Coco—that’s our former legal guardian, b-t-w—but before that, we spent some time uh…” She pauses. Rin steals a glance in her direction and catches the small crease between her brows. He knows what she’s doing and he’s grateful for it. She’s trying to pick her words carefully; trying to decide how much is worth revealing. How much is too much? After a moment, she says “ _ Without _ ? I guess that’s the best way to say it.” 

Rin can feel Louis’ eye jump between them. He can practically see the gears in Louis’ head turn. Realization dawns on him then and something akin to sheepishness flashes over Louis’ face, but it doesn’t last. Rin can tell Louis is a smart one.

“I get it. Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

“You didn’t. I pretty much rambled the information out,” She laughs softly. She gestures to the rest of the room. “So, this is the living area. The bathroom is the size of a closet, but the kitchen’s pretty nice. I wasn’t expecting to see a table in there, though. It’s a lot bigger than what we’re used to.”

“School regulated tables,” Louis supplies with a small smirk. Rin wonders if it's supposed to be a joke. It isn’t funny, but the expression on Louis’ face is sort of… He prefers not to say. “I’ll show you the bedrooms.” He turns on his heel and opens a door Rin  _ thought  _ led to a closet, but in reality, it leads to a set of stairs. “The apartment itself is small, but the bedrooms are pleasantly spacious. They’re bigger than the dorm rooms anyway—” 

The reality of Louis’ words crashes into Rin at that moment. He perks up, immediately drawn to the hidden staircase with wide eyes. Louis stops mid-sentence, stunned by their sudden proximity.

“Did you say ‘bedrooms’? As in plural? As in  _ more than one _ ?”

Louis blinks. “It’s just two,” He says, almost cautiously.

Rin turns to Aria with an expression akin to a child on Christmas day. She’s already smiling wide at him, as though half-expecting this reaction.

“No, no, two is  _ plenty _ ,” She tells Louis. “We shared a room at Coco’s place and it was about the size of like… a walk-in closet, so having our  _ own rooms _ ?” Her smile gets wider. Rin feels like he’s about to burst from joy. “Talk about your dream set up. It’s even worth the grandma puke carpets and the sanitarium walls.”

“Well, if that’s the case, we should hurry upstairs.”

Rin is way ahead of them. He rushes past Louis, careful not to knock him out of the way and takes the stairs two at a time. It’s a terrible idea, and pays for it heavily by the team he reaches the final step in wheezy, gasping breaths, but his breathlessness isn’t enough to chase away his childish glee. He can hear Aria and Louis chattering behind them, the two of them taking their time as he bolts down the small hallway and into the first room on his left.

Louis is right, the room  _ is  _ spacious. It’s much bigger than the room Rin shares with Aria back in Coco’s apartment and while he knows its probably not  _ the  _ biggest room to exist, it certainly feels like one. The walls are just as plain and white as they are downstairs, but at least up  _ here _ , he can decorate.

“Is he always this excited?” He hears Louis ask the moment they reach the hallway.

“You don’t understand. Just the other day he was like, complaining about sharing a room with me and wanting to have his own space. He  _ is  _ a pretty excitable guy, though. You should see him when he  _ really  _ gets going.”

Embarrassment colors Rin’s cheeks. He pokes his head out of the empty room, catching them casually making their way toward them and sticks his tongue out at them. “Excuse me, slowpokes, don’t talk about me behind my back. I can  _ hear  _ you, you know.” He gives his sister a non-threatening glare to which she rolls her eyes.

Amusement flashes across Louis’ face, but Rin pointedly avoids looking his way. When the duo finally reaches the end of the hall, Louis points to the empty room on the right.

“Take a look,” He says to Aria then gives Rin a friendly smile.

Rin looks away, feeling an uncomfortable heat crawl up the nape of his neck. He can hear Aria’s startled gasp from across the hall and smiles. 

“Holy  _ crap _ , man, this is like…” Rin hears her small laugh as it carries throughout the empty space. It makes his chest feel warm. “Well, for one the acoustics are  _ amazing _ , but that’s probably only because it’s empty. This is plenty of space! I don’t know what I’m gonna do with most of it! Sunshine, can you  _ believe  _ this?”

“Yeah,” He mutters quietly, taking in the empty space. It’s overwhelming. The whole situation is overwhelming. He sprawls out on the ground and chuckles breathly. “It’s like I died and went to heaven. Look at all this space, Ari!” He calls out to her, grinning wide. “I’m going to cover  _ all  _ of my walls with pictures!”

“I was surprised about the space too when I first moved here,” Louis confesses after a moment of silence. “ I was able to fit most of my library into my room and that’s no small feat.”

Aria’s happy laugh recaptures Rin’s attention again. “Man, when you say library, I’m imagining like… a room full of books with a small strip of floor to sleep on.”

“If I had my way, you would’ve been right,” Louis chuckles. Rin watches him unabashedly. “But my sister felt I needed to exercise some sense of control. She kept the other half of my collection. You mentioned acoustics earlier, do you like to sing?”

“Mhm! All the time. When things are too quiet, Sunshine and me will start singalongs to whatever’s on the radio. My favorites are the Britney Spears ones, though.”

Louis’ attention turns back to Rin, who immediately returns his gaze toward the ceiling, his heart hammering.

“I take it you like to sing too?” He asks.

Rin shakes his head. He sits up slowly, huffing somewhat uncomfortably at the tightness around his chest. He tugs on the fabric of his binder, readjusting it ever so slightly, uncomfortably aware of Louis’ watchful gaze. “No. Aria is the singer between us. I just like to make squawking noises in the background and call it singing.”

Aria scoffs and pokes her head into Rin’s future bedroom, holding up a single finger in the air. “First of all, that’s a bold-faced lie.” She turns to Louis with a glint in her eyes and says, “He takes the low notes I can’t get to and it’s  _ great _ . Second of all—” She ticks a second finger. “—you want to  _ really  _ see where he shines, talk about art. He’s a really good artist!”

For the second time that day, Rin’s cheeks grow unnaturally hot.

“She’s exaggerating,” He pouts. “I just draw for fun.”

“Still, I’d love to see some of your works.” Louis smiles at him gently. “We have clubs on campus, too. And a theater if you’re interested in trying out.” He glances toward Aria as he says this. “This year’s production will be a musical, I’m not sure of what though. They haven’t quite decided.”

“Oh, maybe. We’ll see.” Aria says plainly.  _ Too  _ plainly. Rin watches her closely, aware of the subtle tension in her shoulders. “I have a full course load so I’m not sure if I’ll have time.”

“Of course. The offer still stands if you’re interested.” He turns back to Rin, and for whatever reason, Louis’ attention on him makes his heart race. 

It must have shown on his face because whatever Louis wanted to say gets lost in his throat. Instead, Louis is left staring at Rin. It does nothing to relieve the heat of his cheeks or his racing heart.

“Hm.  _ Well _ , this apartment is pretty nice.” Aria states after a moment of silence that stretches far too long for anyone’s comfort. It does the trick and dispels Louis from whatever startled trance he fell into. “It’s way better than I expected. I’ll have my own space, but it’s not like we’ll be on separate planets or different apartments or whatever, so we can still hang out. And it has a really nice kitchen. I’ll be able to cook so much more than I ever could at Coco’s house.” “Which means you’re not gonna survive on ramen and Doritos.”

Rin snorts. “You underestimate my power, Ari.”

“You’re a woman of many talents, Aria.” Louis says, sounding… relieved? Flirtatious? Rin isn’t sure exactly  _ what  _ Louis sounds like but it doesn’t sound like his usual tour guide tone. “The campus committee doesn’t have much taste for decor but their appliances work pretty well. I don’t have much time to cook for myself, but my sister’s meals often taste better now than they did before.”

“Not sure if that was a compliment or an insult to your sister, but as a sister, I’m going to go with compliment to save the reputation points you’ve built with us so far,” She grins.

Louis flushes red from embarrassment and Rin can’t help but roll his eyes. He climbs to his feet, making a show of wiping imaginary dust from his pants. He feels oddly irritated, though he isn’t sure why.

“Well,” He announces loudly, clapping a hand on Louis’ shoulder as he makes his way past the two of them. “Thank you for the tour, Louis. We’re really happy and grateful for this opportunity.” He turns on his heel, walking backward toward the banister of the staircase. “ _ I’m  _ gonna go downstairs and tell dear, sweet Aunt Coco the news.” 

He gives Aria one last glance, an expression he hopes is indescribable in her eyes, before making noisy steps down the stairs. He stops midway, low enough to be out of sight, but still within earshot.

He feels ridiculous, like a child throwing a tantrum. He has no reason feeling so annoyed and yet here he was, practically eavesdropping on his sister because he thinks she’s flirting with a stranger.  _ Why  _ exactly does it bother him? He doesn’t know Louis, doesn’t even really  _ care  _ for him. He’s a stranger! They’ve only just met today and while they spent most of the morning touring the whole campus, it isn’t long enough for Rin to feel any sort of jealousy toward him. Simply put: Rin has no reason to feel jealous and he should just go outside and text Coco that their tour was a success. He  _ shouldn’t  _ be eavesdropping.  _ Nothing  _ is going to happen.

But Aria’s drawn-out sigh keeps him rooted in place. He feels his heart in his throat as he strains his ears. He knows that sigh. He’s heard that sigh from her many times before. She’s onto him, and he hates it.

“Anyway, if you ever get tired of like… takeout and reheated sister-meals, you should come by here sometime. I cook pretty much every night, and it wouldn’t be  _ too  _ much work to cook a little extra if you felt like stopping by. I might not be as…  _ skilled  _ as your sister, but my food is definitely edible.” Rin can hear the smirk in his sister’s voice; can practically see it in his mind’s eye.

He tries not to hold his breath as he waits for Louis’ response.

“I—” Louis’ voice cracks. He clears his throat. “I couldn’t possibly impose.”

“Not much of an imposition if you were invited, is it?”

The small laugh Louis gives is more like a breath than a laugh. “No, I guess not. Thank you, Aria. I would love to. My apartment is just down the street from here, too, if you and Rin find you need any help.”

Something hot and dark settles uncomfortably in Rin’s chest. He tries not to grumble or to give away his position, but his muscles are tense. They’re wound up so tight from standing stock still on the stairs.

“We’ll keep that in mind, definitely! And you’d better  _ actually  _ take me up on that dinner thing, because I get the feeling you’re the type to say you’ll take help from others and never do it.” She chuckles softly. “Just a vibe I get.”

“Nothing gets past you, huh?”

“Rin is my twin brother—” Rin freezes, startled. “—I needed to learn to pick up on these things. So, how about Friday?”

“Friday sounds good, thank you.”

“Ugh,” Rin groans quietly.

“Rin?” Suddenly, Aria peers down from over the banister, her dyed amethyst colored hair, sliding over her shoulders. “Have you been there the whole time?”

“N-no!” He panics. “Just came up to, uh, to check up on you guys. Since, uh, it’d been a while. We all good here?”

“Yup, all good, Sunshine!” She beams. “And I found us a dinner guest for Friday. Louis is coming over, so you’d better not make any plans for Friday night.”

Rin blinks in faux surprise. “Oh, that’s…  _ Great! _ ” He flashes her a bright smile he hopes she can’t see through. “Super great!”

“Well, I’ll let you two get settled in,” Louis announces as he makes his way toward the stairs and down into the living room. “Welcome to Vein University. I hope to see you two both on campus sometime.” He gives them both a polite smile and sees himself out.

Left alone with only Aria as company, Rin can already feel her eyes on him.

“ _ Welp _ , I’m gonna tell Coco to call the movers.” He says, fishing out his cellphone from his pocket.

It doesn’t take Aria long to creep up behind him with an expression in her eyes that Rin isn’t comfortable with seeing. Not on her. “I know that voice. That’s the 'Rin is mad at Aria and is trying to pretend he’s not' voice. What did I do this time?”

_ This time _ . She says it like Rin is always mad at her—like everything she’s ever done makes him mad—when the reality couldn’t be further from the truth. There’s only one thing Aria does that makes him mad, and it's the one thing she knows won’t stop, no matter how hard he tries to get her to.

“Nothing, nothing,” He evades, finishing his text and sending it to Coco. “Can’t be mad at nothing.”

“Sunshine.” She tries again, but Rin shakes his head.

“It’s nothing, Ari. Don’t worry about it. What’s more important is getting our stuff in before class starts next week.”

“No, what’s  _ important  _ is figuring out why the  _ eff  _ you’re mad at me. So, how about you tell me  _ before  _ we have a fight this time?”

Rin sighs, but resists the urge to roll his eyes. He doesn't think Aria would appreciate if he did that in her face. The last time he rolled his eyes in front of her, the hurt in her eyes haunted him for days afterward. 

Instead, he falls into his usual nonchalant demeanor. He shrugs his shoulders casually and says, “It’s fine, Ari. I’m cool with it. I get it. The tour guide is attractive.”

Confusion mars Aria’s face. “Huh?”

He tries not to sigh again. “Why the face? You were literally just flirting with him not too long ago.”

She frowns, her confusion intensifying. “Uh… when?” She asks.

Now it's Rin’s turn to be confused. “Whaddya mean  _ when _ ? That whole thing about his sister and inviting him to dinner is  _ when _ !”

“Since when is making conversation and trying to be  _ nice  _ flirting?”

Rin can’t believe what he’s hearing. He knows Aria isn’t  _ this  _ naive when it comes to dating. She’s the only one among them who has a history of dating. Sure, it was one guy on and off all through high school, but still! That's still more knowledge than Rin currently had! Does she seriously not know what she's doing?

“Uh, Aria, did you miss the part where his voice cracked? Did you  _ not  _ hear that?” 

“He was probably surprised. You make weird noises when you’re surprised, too.”

This time, Rin  _ does  _ roll his eyes. “Ari, he was  _ into  _ you.” He deadpans.

Aria’s burst of laughter catches Rin off guard. 

“Oh Sunshine, you could  _ not  _ be more wrong if you tried. Trust me. It’s not  _ me  _ he’s interested in.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? You’re a cute girl with a great booty! Of course he’s interested?”

“There are not enough adjectives in the English language to describe how wrong you are. And even if you weren’t wrong, which you  _ are _ , I am absolutely not interested in him beyond friendship.”

Rin is startled. Louis is a relatively handsome looking fellow. Any girl would be tripping over their heels just to get his attention and yet Aria is actively admitting she wasn’t interested? He doesn’t understand. What’s wrong with Louis?

“Why  _ not _ ?”

“He’s not my type,” She says simply. She pushes a strand of hair behind her ear and crosses her arms. “You know me. I like guys who are at least ten inches taller than me and can spin me around like a rag doll.” The mental image this conjures in Rin’s head is almost enough to make him laugh, but he resists. He doesn’t think Aria would appreciate much. “I was trying to make us a friend. You know, that thing we promised each other we’d do here? Make friends?”

Rin is fully aware, but what he just witnessed on the second floor didn’t seem anything like the friendships he’s used to. Then again, he isn’t well versed in that department either.

“Well, you might want to tell him that. I don’t think he got the memo.”

“Don’t worry, if it becomes a problem, I will, but I don’t think it will become a problem.” She chuckles softly. “Like I said, I’m not his type.”

“His loss then. You’re a great catch, Ari.”

“If I’m not broken up about it, you shouldn't be either.” She laughs, genuinely this time and it eases whatever tension Rin was holding in his shoulders. "So, can you stop being mad at me now? We should be enjoying this new apartment because  _ holy crap _ !”

“I mean, I guess…” He pouts, still not entirely convinced of Aria’s convictions. “But, seriously, you should probably be real with him. He looked…  _ mighty  _ interested.”

She laughs again. “Nope. Not even a little bit, Sunshine. Not in me, anyway.”

Oh no, he knows that voice. He knows that  _ glint  _ in her eyes. She is not going to play those games with him. Not today!

He shakes his eyes, eyes narrowing. “Oh no, nu-uh. Don’t think so. He was watching  _ you. _ ”

She shakes her head. “Nope. Negative. The only time he was looking at _me _is when I was talking to him.” She smirks wryly, pointing to Rin and twirling around in a dramatic circle as though to emphasize a point Rin was sure didn’t exist in the first place. “His focus was… _elsewhere_, otherwise.”

He shakes his head fiercely. ”Absolutely not. There was no way he was staring at me. Nope! No way. I doubt that.”

“I don’t! In fact, I don’t doubt it at  _ all _ , since I saw it!”

“You probably just hallucinated it.” He snorts then frowns for a moment, mulling it over further. “Okay, but like, even if you didn’t? It wouldn’t last long anyway.”

“You could not be more wrong if you tried. Like, you’re living in downtown Wrong City here.”

“And  _ you’re  _ just making assumptions. We know how the story goes, Ari. He’s probably just confused or curious and once his curiosity gets satisfied—”

“—he’d want more,” Aria interjects. “He’d be in love with you for who you are. You just gotta give him a chance to  _ know  _ who you are.”

Who  _ he  _ is isn’t worth the time of day, effort, existence— _ anything _ —but telling Aria that is more trouble than it’s worth. He shakes his head, perhaps more insistently than he means to. “You don’t know that. You give people too much credit, sis.”

“Or maybe  _ you  _ don’t give them  _ enough _ . You know me. I don’t…” She pauses, frowns, mulls over her words carefully then says, “I don’t  _ trust  _ people easily, but I got a really good feeling about him. He seems like a really nice guy. Different. Like the kind of friend we could use.”

Of course she’d say that. Aria didn’t have many friends in high school. She didn’t run in the same crowd as Rin did. She doesn’t  _ know  _ what it means to have “friends”. People like Louis aren't  _ friends _ . They don't need people like Rin.

Rin sighs heavily. He brushes a hand through his dark, wine-colored hair, trying his best to shake off the unease and bitterness that wells up inside him.

“Fine, fine,” He says, holding up his hands in defeat. “Whatever you say, Sugar Queen. If you’ve got a feeling then I  _ guess  _ he’s okay.” He doesn’t buy it and he knows it shows on his face, but the longer they dwell on this subject the more likely it is that his foul mood will seep through and ruin  _ both  _ their days.

The disappointment in Aria’s eyes hurts, but it's bearable. He’d rather have her be disappointed in him than sad and he knows, despite her disapproval, that she won’t press the issue further. 

“Just… be nice, okay? That’s all I ask.”

“I’m  _ always  _ nice,” he quips with faux indignation. “It’s  _ them  _ who aren’t.”

She chuckles softly. “Sure, you're always nice. When you’re not being a gremlin, anyway.”

“I’m  _ not  _ a gremlin,” He grins.

Aria rolls her eyes. “Okay, so a Mogwai… except you take frequent showers, so you always get wet, and you eat after midnight all the time.” She rubs her chin thoughtfully. “You don’t particularly like the light, though.”

“Wow, okay,  _ excuse _ . Here I am, trying to live my life and you call me a Mogwai. I feel so attacked right now. I’m ratting you out to Coco!”

“You mean so she can agree with me?” Aria smirks.

Rin gasps dramatically and presses a hand against his chest. “How  _ dare  _ you? And I was going to move in with you? Get me an uber! I’m moving back in with Coco!” He spins around dramatically and heads for the door.

“Who also thinks you’re a Mogwai,” She calls after him, then shrugs, as if she couldn’t be hard-pressed to stop her brother from leaving her. “And also Coco doesn’t make tacos as well as I do.”

“ _ Oh! _ ” Rin gasps, clutching his chest. He collapses to his knees, theatrically reaching for the doorknob that's just barely out of reach. “Foiled!” He wails, his voice bounces off the empty walls. “Betrayed! Slayed!”

“By your sister who loves you forever and ever and ever unconditionally?” She grins. “Like I believe  _ that _ .”

He whines dramatically, it sounds astonishingly like Chewbacca, before he falls flat on his face, his nose burying deep into the ugly beige carpet. It smells horribly like carpet cleaner.

“Poor Rin. Poor, poor Rin. Poor, misunderstood, lonely, sad Rin without a soul in the world on his side.” Aria’s voice is flat and sarcastic. It cuts deep. Rin has to admit, he’s really impressed.

“You know, has anyone ever told you that you’re mean?”

Aria smirks and brushes a strand of hair over her shoulder again. “Yeah. Lots of people. So, with today’s  _ Rin Freakout™  _ out of the way, can we  _ please  _ enjoy this gorgeous apartment together?”

Rin springs back onto his feet excitedly and beams. “Let’s bring out the champagne!” He claps his hands together and reaches for his wallet. “Well, once we buy it that is.”

“And while we drink it, you can help me decide what to cook on Friday.” She eagerly turns toward the kitchen, her smile wide. “On our fancy new stove!”

Rin laughs. “Sounds like a plan, sis.”


	2. Aria (I)

Aria walks down the street on campus with her earbuds in, oblivious to all the people watching her. She bobs her head and sways her long, ruffling skirt in her fingers to the beat of the song she's listening to. Her mind flies into a spiral of excited thoughts, about their new apartment, about how happy she is, about how this could finally be the chance for her and Rin to have a normal and happy life. 

She makes a mental note to thank Coco for pushing them to go to college together, and swears to herself that it will be a good year.

In her happy mood, she starts singing louder than usual without realizing it.

_ "All that you got, skin to skin, oh my god, don't you stop, boy…" _ As Aria sings, her dance intensifies, and she's spinning in imbecilic circles along with the beat. _ "Somethin' 'bout you makes me feel like a dangerous woman. Somethin' 'bout you makes me wanna do things that I shouldn't. All girls wanna be like that; bad girls underneath, like that. You know how I'm feeling inside… somethin' 'bout you makes me feel like a dangerous woman." _

She sings along with the song, still completely oblivious to the fact that she's making a full spectacle of herself.

Everything comes crashing to a halt when she feels a gentle touch on her shoulder. She jumps at the sudden touch, trips over her own feet, and practically falls to the pavement, but manages to stay standing. She turns sharply, her mind suddenly catching up to what she's been doing and starts to circle through the different horrible possibilities of who could have heard her singing. 

Is it some girl who's going to tell her that her voice sucks again? Or some guy who's going to think that just because she's singing Ariana, that means she's easy? Or a member of staff, who's going to tell her to stop causing a scene?

When Aria looks up, she's surprised when she comes face to face with a woman, slightly taller than her, with blonde hair and eyes almost the same shade of purple as her own. The woman regards Aria with a gentle smile as she waves cheerfully.

"I apologize, I didn't mean to startle you," she greets.

Aria blinks, then shakes her head to dismiss the apology. "It's okay. I was sort of, uh… spacing out, I guess. No big deal." She tries to smile in return, but she's pretty sure it falls short.

The woman doesn't seem to notice. The smile on her face grows, and she shrugs nonchalantly. "Spacing out and singing, you mean?"

"Yeah, I guess…" Aria can feel her cheeks heating up, and she pushes a few strands of amethyst hair from her face. "Sorry, I… I didn't mean to both—"

Before Aria can continue, the woman cuts her off with a shake of her head and a smile. "You have quite a lovely singing voice. Good range, and it carries quite a distance," she tells Aria. "Somehow, it manages to be both powerful and sweet at the same time."

The last compliments fly right out of Aria's notice. She finds herself stuck on one particular thing the woman said, and her mind puts the brakes on. She blinks in stunned silence at the woman, before she manages to find her voice again.

"It… carries?" Aria croaks.

How many people around had heard her, then? How many people had she just walked by when she was dancing like a fool through the quad? How many people—how many _ strangers _ —are suddenly privy to her propensity to sing at complete random? To her foolish dances? To how _ happy _ music makes her?

The woman seems unfazed. Her smile doesn't dissipate. Instead, she simply claps her hands together eagerly. "Oh yes, quite well!" She nods. "In fact, I doubt you even need a microphone when you sing in front of crowds."

With an awkward laugh, Aria shakes her head. "Wouldn't know, to be honest."

Curiosity has the woman's eyebrows raising. "What do you mean?" she asks.

Aria shrugs. "I don't really… sing in front of people. I mean, there's my brother, but he's usually singing with me, so that's totally different." With a shrug, she waves her hand nonchalantly over her shoulder, toward the apartment, like the woman has any clue what it means.

It isn't for lack of interest, of course. Aria has _ tried _ to get into things like musicals, or bands, or even the choir and glee club back in high school, but in her entire twenty-two-year history, nothing has ever panned out for her. She assumes that's part of why she's so confused by this woman's sudden interest. Up until now, no one's ever listened, so why should now be any different?

The woman seems undaunted. "Well, I find that quite shocking," she says simply. "You're very talented."

"Uh… thanks," Aria murmurs, embarrassed. The woman's words are kind, but Aria still can't help but wonder if she's only being kind in order to pull the rug out from under her later. "Totally didn't realize I was singing out loud, though."

Smile softening, the woman shrugs her shoulders and meets Aria's eyes levelly. "I've heard that we're often the truest to ourselves when we think no one is watching," she explains, before extending her hand. "I'm Eva, by the way. Eva Roux."

Aria's mind stumbles. The cool, confident aura this woman gives off is almost overwhelming. "Aria," she answers, then winces when she realizes she forgot to give her last name. As she extends her hand to shake Eva's, she continues, "Frey."

"I find it very hard to believe that you've never sung publicly before, Aria."

The disbelief is flattering, if not somewhat insulting. "I haven't," Aria confirms flatly. "I mean, not since I was a little kid, in those elementary school play recital things. That wasn't just me, though. That was, like… everyone."

Without missing a beat, Eva levels Aria with a gentle, curious gaze, and asks, "Would you be interested in trying?"

Aria stands straight and blinks, thoroughly confused. "Trying… what?" she asks.

Once again, Eva is undaunted by Aria's confusion. Her kind demeanor doesn't morph, or change, or anything weird like that. "Singing in public," she answers. "You see, I work at a bar every night, and recently, I've found myself wanting to take time off to be with my fiancé. I sing with the house band at a local bar called Ichor, covers of any song you could ever think of, from just about any genre. They're quite good. If you're interested, I'm sure they'd be able to—"

Wait. _ Wait _. What, exactly, is she suggesting? She thinks Aria could sing in public? What does that have to do with her singing in a bar on weekends, with some house band? Or spending more time with her fiancé?

"Wait, what?" Aria asks, her voice quiet as she tries to catch up. "Hold on, back up a sec. You don't… you don't even _ know _ me. You barely even know my _ name _ , and you're offering me… what _ are _ you offering me?"

Plainly, without flinching, Eva answers. "To cover for me on weekends, of course."

Aria stares at her, mouth agape. She tries several times to come up with something to say. _ Anything _ to say, really. A stranger, an _ absolute _ stranger, just walks up to her on the street after she's made a complete and utter fool of herself in public, tells her she sounds good, and _ offers her a job _? That doesn't happen. This isn't happening. Aria has to be dreaming. Any second now, she'll blink back into awareness and find herself in her bed back at the apartment. Right?

"Wh—" Aria stammers, "_ What _?"

Eva shrugs. "You would be singing in public, and getting paid and tipped quite well for it too," she explains. "If you're interested, that is."

Incredulity spreads across Aria's face like someone is painting it on with a brush. She stares at Eva again, trying to come up with a way to express exactly how incredulous she is. "You've heard me sing, like… _ half _ a song. How do you know I can even—"

Laughing, Eva shrugs Aria's doubt off gently. "Reality TV music competitions have made decisions based on far less than that, Aria."

That manages to pull a soft puff of laughter from Aria's lips. "I mean, that's true, I guess," she muses.

Eva reaches into her purse, and procures a small notepad and a pen. "It couldn't hurt to try it out, right? To me, it feels like not doing something with that voice of yours is a waste." 

As Eva talks, she writes a few scribbles onto the notepad and tears the top piece of paper off. "As I mentioned, the job is at a bar called Ichor, in town. If you're interested, you can start tonight." Before Aria can question, she continues. "I'll come in as well, to get you accustomed to it and perhaps help you work on a set, but after that—"

Aria stops her by raising her hand in a 'stop' gesture. "T-_ tonight _?" She blinks, still too shocked to say anything else. "That's such short notice! I mean, I—"

"I think you can do it," Eva answers simply.

To say that Aria is conflicted is a drastic understatement. She's never sang in public before—at least not when she was aware of it—so going from not doing it at all to _ willingly _ doing it in front of a bar full of drunks is a pretty big jump. 

The whole situation seems like something out of a sitcom or a movie, the type of thing that never happens in real life. Not to girls like Aria, anyway. A once in a lifetime chance; the type of thing that will probably never happen to her again. Doubts and hope swirl in her mind, and as they fight it out, she reminds herself of her promise that it would be a _ good _ year this year. With that in mind, she looks at Eva and tries to tamp back another wave of doubt as she smiles nervously.

"You really think I can do it?" she asks.

Eva nods. "Absolutely," she answers. "I wouldn't have offered if I didn't."

It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. That's what Aria's mind keeps running back to. Things like this never happen to girls like her. As surreal as it is to have a woman stop her the _ one _ time she allows herself to cut loose and sing in public, she also isn't stupid enough to look a gift horse like that in the mouth.

Though she's still hesitant, Aria reaches up and takes the paper from Eva's hand. She glances at the address, written in Eva's swoopy, neat cursive. Though Aria doesn't exactly know the town that well, she knows that the address to the bar is only a few blocks off-campus. Eva wrote for her to be there at six p.m.. It's just past noon now, so if she _ does _ decide to go through with this, she still has a few hours to go home, to prepare, to get dressed and to figure out what to sing.

To decide to back out.

A part of her wonders what Rin will think. His opinion will ultimately decide how she feels about the whole thing, but she can't help the optimistic feeling rising in her chest as she raises her head and meets Eva's eye.

"Alright, I'll do it."

The smile that spreads across Eva's face tells Aria that she seems excited, which is strange. She's giving up hours at her job to someone she barely knows, she has no idea whether it will work out or if Aria will fail miserably, and yet she can still smile so calmly. That calm smile, more than anything, is what eases Aria's mind. After Eva adds her own phone number to the bottom of the slip of paper, she turns to leave.

Aria simply stands in place for a few seconds and lets the course of events sink in.

It's her _ first _ day on campus. The literal _ first _ day she's walked around on her own. Not only that but she's reasonably sure she made the biggest idiot possible of herself. Somehow, despite all that, Eva _ still _ saw her as worthy of a job?

She puffs a breath out and smiles. It saves her a lot of stress, too. When they moved into the apartment, she'd gone into the situation knowing she'd have to get a job eventually. Rin's next T dose is closer than she thinks he realizes, and while she's almost got enough money stored away to afford it, she's been worried about where the last bit would come from. She knows, ultimately, that they could have asked Coco if the need arose, but now… now that doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter, because Aria _ has _ a job, and it's a _ good _ job. A _ dream _ job. _ Her _ dream job.

Excitement floods her as she turns back around, abandoning her mission to familiarize herself with the campus in favor of going home to tell Rin the good news. Then, she has to think about songs that she could conceivably sing at a bar while she puts together an outfit from her closet. She's pretty sure she trips over her feet three times in her excitement to get home. When she gets there, she's practically vibrating with excitement as she throws the door open.

"Rin!" she shouts into what looks to be an empty living room. "Rin Tin Tin! Not by the hair of my Rinny-Rin-Rin, where are you?!"

A familiar spiky head of wine-colored hair pokes up from the other side of the couch, and the face attached levels her with a flat, unimpressed look. "Don't you _ ever _ say that outside of this house, Aria."

In spite of Rin's tone, Aria can't fight a smile. She shrugs and gestures around her. "We're not outside the house, though. We're _ inside _ it, Sunshine. I literally just came _ into _ the house." Beaming an excited smile, she places her hands on the couch and looks over the back of it at Rin.

The look on Rin's face is warning, but gently so, as he sprawls back down onto the couch and relaxes again. "Yeah, I know," he answers. "Still, don't say it outside these walls."

Aria simply laughs. "Yes, sir." The excitement on her face grows even more in anticipation of delivering the good news, and she tries to keep it inside, but she just wants Rin to _ notice _ it and _ comment _ already.

Finally, Rin arches an eyebrow. "You're really excited. Did something good happen?"

Nodding so fast it almost makes her dizzy, Aria bounces on the balls of her feet. "Oh my god, _ yes _! Sunshine, you gotta guess, but while you guess you gotta come with me and help me pick a super amazing outfit 'cause I'm gonna need one," she tells him.

Without waiting for an answer, or even to see if he's following her—because she knows he will—she bounds up the stairs and into her bedroom. She leaves the door wide open as she starts to rifle through her dresser for her best clothes. Her mind reels as she tries to figure out what she has that's good for the stage. None of the clothes she has were purchased with the intent to _ perform _ in. Does she even have anything?

Rin appears in her room and throws himself lazily on Aria's bed. "You're excited, you need a new outfit," he says nonchalantly as he scrolls through his phone, "Did you meet a cute boy?"

Scoffing, Aria shakes her head. "No, this is like… _ way _ better than some dumb boy," she insists, as she tosses a couple of pairs of pants onto the floor and looks for her two favorite skirts.

Still scrolling through his phone, not bothering to look up, Rin asks, "Did you meet a cute _ girl _?"

"Nah. I'm not into girls, you know that," Aria shakes her head, but then pauses and looks at Rin with wide eyes. "I mean, not that there's anything _ wrong _ with it or anything… a girl being into a girl or a guy being into a guy, I mean… but just for _ me _ . _ I'm _ just not into them."

Every word she says is digging her deeper and deeper into a hole. For years, she's known—or, not _ known _ , because Rin has never actually confessed, but had a _ suspicion _ —that Rin is bisexual. It's a topic they walk on eggshells around, for various reasons. From time to time, Aria swears she thinks Rin is going to tell her. Sometimes she'll see a certain look in his eyes or hear a certain tone in his voice, and she'll think _ "hey, maybe this is the moment," _but up until now, there's been none.

Rin blocks Aria from his view when he replies. "Girls are cute, you're just lame."

Puffing a breath out through her nose, Aria shrugs. "Anyway. The plaid ruffles or the maroon ones?" She needs to change the topic, because she knows the more they pursue the last one, the less likely Rin will _ ever _ be honest with her. "And you still need to guess!"

"I always like the plaid ruffles best for you," he tells her, continuing to scroll on his phone. "So, if it's not a date, but you need an outfit, I'm gonna guess it's some kind of event?"

Aria gathers the plaid ruffled skirt and tears through the next drawer up for the black corset camisole she knows matches the best with it. "An event? Kinda, I guess," she nods. "More like… a recurring event that's totally life-changing."

Rin sits up abruptly and looks at her with wide eyes. "Did you get a job already?"

She turns to Rin excitedly, dropping the clothes in her hand and nodding quickly. "A _ great _ job! The best job! Like… the job of my _ dreams _, Sunshine!"

"Are you getting paid to _ sing _?!" Rin's excited voice echoes in her room.

Aria jumps up and down and beams at Rin. "Yes! At a bar!"

In her excitement, she bounces on the balls of her feet again as she recounts the day's events. "This lady heard me singing, mind you, I was making a total ass of myself but that's neither here nor there, because she _ approached _ me and _ asked _ me if I want to cover for her because she wants to take weekends off to be with her fiancé or something, I don't remember exactly what she said but she wants _ me _ to cover for her and she wants me to start tonight!" 

She finally breathes, not realizing the whole explanation had come out in a single breath. Her breath comes out in a deep, high-pitched gasp, and she bounces excitedly. "Me, Sunshine. _ Me _ ! Singing in front of people. For money. I was like… you've _ gotta _ be kidding me!"

"Holy _ shit _, Ari!" Rin sounds excited at first, but just as quickly as the excitement appears, it disappears. "Wait, how do you know this is legit? A bar?"

Realization seems to hit him like a lightning bolt for some reason, and he looks at her incredulously. "Wait. Tonight?! As in… _ this _ night? Like, _ today _ tonight?" he practically shrieks.

Aria barely has enough time to worry about his questions about the legitimacy of the offer before Rin spins out of control about the date or something. She arches her eyebrow. "I mean… that's what tonight means, isn't it?" she asks as she holds up two pairs of shoes. "The chunky combat boots or the ladybug flats?"

"Aria, you _ can't _ go!"

Surprise flashes across Aria's face as she looks at Rin. "Wait, why? Because it might not be legit?" She reaches into her skirt's pocket and pulls out the small piece of paper Eva gave her. "She gave me the number of the bar. Maybe… maybe you could call and find out if it's actually a bad for me? And not some, like… crazy psycho cult headquarters or something?"

The look on her face likely does a poor job disguising her own fear about that exact same thing. Was she too optimistic? Is there a chance that she's just one of those girls that becomes a statistic? That Eva isn't really the nice woman she presents herself to be, and that she's really a recruiter for some cult, preparing to take Aria captive the second she walks into the bar?

"Calling them won't prove if it's legit or not, Ari," Rin points out. "The best way to prove it would be to go there ourselves, but we _ can't _ , because _ you planed that stupid dinner with the tour guide_, so I _ can't _ be there to protect you if it turns out this crazy lady is actually a human trafficker!"

Without missing a beat, Rin continues. "I've read stories, Ari. This sounds suspiciously like that!"

Aria frowns, falling dismally to lean back against her dresser. It makes sense. Of course it does. Twenty-two years of acting like a fool in public, singing and dancing and jumping around, and never having anyone take notice of her, only to have it happen out of the blue, all of a sudden? Usually, in Aria's life, if something seems too good to be true, that means it is.

Things like this don't happen to her. People don't notice her voice. People don't hear her sing and suddenly decide she's good. Why would that suddenly change?

"I guess… it probably _ was _ stupid to think someone would notice me singing and think I was good, huh?" she asks Rin, dejected. "I just sorta… hoped."

Surprise flashes across Rin's face, like someone had just slapped him. He tries to speak a few times, opening and closing his mouth like a fish, and then his expression changes. Just as quickly, the surprise is replaced with a wash of guilt and then a flash of anger, as he falls back onto Aria's bed with a heavy sigh.

"That's not what I was implying. I just thought—" He cuts himself off and sighs again. "It's probably legit, but we probably _ should _ call ahead of time to confirm the place actually exists, okay? And if you want to cancel the dinner plans so you can focus on getting prepared, I'm all for that, too."

The last bit takes Aria by surprise, both because up until now she'd completely forgotten all about the dinner and because she can clearly sense exactly how much Rin _ wants _ her to cancel the dinner. It makes sense. She knows he doesn't really trust new people easily—almost as bad as her—so it's completely reasonable that he'd jump at the chance to have the dinner plans canceled.

She doesn't answer that part right away, and instead decides to focus on the bar and the anxiety that's cropped up in her head. "Can you… call for me?" she asks, pathetically. "I don't know if I can handle hearing straight up that it's not real."

"Sure, I can," Rin replies with a sympathetic frown. 

As Rin gathers his phone and Aria hands him the slip of paper with the number on it, she listens to the one-sided bits of phone conversation carrying out across from her. While Rin talks, the average hellos, ah, I sees, okays, and thank yous, Aria considers the dinner plans with Louis. For a moment, she seriously considers canceling them, but ultimately, she decides not to.

Maybe it's underhanded, but Aria _ knows _ it'll be okay, that it'll be much easier than Rin thinks it will. Louis is nice. He's kind and she can tell he's exactly the kind of friend Rin needs. If that means Aria has to be a _ teeny _ bit underhanded to get them to talk alone… well, she'll deal with the consequences later.

By the time Rin hangs the phone up, she's looking at him with nervous eyes and wringing her hands. "Well?" she asks.

"It's legit," Rin answers. "They want you in by seven tonight."

The smile finds its way back to Aria's face as she throws her head back in relief. "Sunshine, this is my _ dream _ job! I can't believe it!" she exclaims. "All because I made an absolute _ idiot _ of myself on campus!"

Rin smiles the megawatt smile that Aria loves to see on her brother's face. "I'm so proud of you, Ari!" he announces, then looks up at her, failing to conceal the hope in his eyes. "If you need to cancel tonight's dinner, I'm sure the pre—the _ tour _ guide—will understand!"

Though she catches the slip, she decides not to comment on it for the time being. Aria shakes her head and smiles at Rin. "Nah, I won't need to! It's only like… noon right now, so I have _ plenty _ of time to make two servings of mac and cheese lasagna and get ready on time!" She leans down and pats Rin on the cheek. "Don't you worry, Sunshine!"

With a forced smile, Rin says, "Oh. _ Great_. Sounds delicious. Combat boots, by the way. With the skirt." After he answers, he flops back onto Aria's bed and murmurs, "fantastic," under his breath.

Aria chuckles softly. "Don't sound so excited, Sunshine," she murmurs as she puts the pieces of her outfit together and looks it over. "Yup, this is why I needed your help. I'm so nervous I _ probably _ would have somehow managed to come up with something that doesn't match, thus tarnishing my fashion design student reputation before it has a chance to begin."

From the bed, Rin grumbles incomprehensibly.

Sitting beside him, Aria chuckles softly and pats him on the knee. "It'll be fine, I promise. Louis is nice, remember?" She flashes him a loving smile. "And you'll get the chance to make friends with him like I did the other day!"

"It won't be fun because you won't be here," Rin complains. "But I hope you have fun at your new job. I'll try not to destroy the house while you're gone."

Aria flops down next to Rin and leans her head against his shoulder. "You'll have fun. I know you will," she reassures him. "And then, when I go back to work _ tomorrow _, you'll have to come with me so you can see me sing! That way I'll know at least one person in the crowd doesn't think I suck."

With a halfhearted laugh, Rin turns to look at her. "You got recruited to sing at a bar. I think that means you don't suck. But I'll look forward to it. It'll get me through dinner."

Shaking her head, Aria reaches up and smooths her fingers through Rin's hair, tidying it up a little. "Nah, talking to Louis will do that just fine, you'll see," she says with a smile, pressing a quick peck to Rin's cheek. As she stands up and crosses the room, she turns to look at him. "Now, c'mon. I'm gonna need your company while I cook, and then help with my hair if I want to be ready before I have to go!"

In spite of Rin's childish pout as he follows her down the stairs, Aria can't help but think that this is the start of something good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know Aria is an absolute disaster. XD We love her, though.
> 
> To be honest, _both_ twins are absolute disasters all the way. ._. BUT. We hope you'll love them just as much as we do, as well as their dynamic with their respective boyfriend-to-be! We're super excited to have you guys on this journey with us! Buckle in, pallios, it's gonna be a bumpy ride! ♥


	3. Rin (II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin is a bisexual disaster and Louis is pretty much here for it.

Later that Friday evening, Rin applies the finishing touches to Aria’s hair. He sprays a small amount of hair spray into a tendril of hair that curls around his finger and lets them fall gently against Aria’s cheeks. The rest of her hair is pulled into a carefully teased and stylized messy ponytail, that cascades down her back like a river of amethyst jewels. 

Doing Aria’s hair is almost therapeutic for him. It’s a kind of hobby he finds enjoyable, especially since it means he can spend a few extra moments with Aria. It’s something they’ve been doing since they were kids; when Aria started growing out her hair, Rin took it upon himself to learn styling techniques to make the growth process more enjoyable. Since then, he’s learned a thing or two about hair products and what was best for both of their hair types.

He carefully pats the bump of teased hair and swoops Aria’s bang to the side. He steps around her, examining the hairstyle for a moment.

“I think it’s missing something,” He mutters. He digs into Aria’s woven basket of hair products and pulls out a couple of hairpins. Internally, he cringes. 

He’s familiar with these pins. They’re bobby pins with a messily crafted black velvet bundle that was meant to resemble a rose. To Rin, it doesn’t look like a rose, but rather a generic flower. The other pin is a simple, homemade bow sloppily super glued onto the metal. Both pins are craft projects Rin made when he was bored  _ years  _ ago. Somehow, he isn’t surprised that Aria still has them despite Rin trying to throw them in the trash.

He shows both pins to Aria and asks, “Do you want the rose pin or the bow pin?”

Aria hums for a moment. She glances at her outfit from where it hangs on the closet door. “Black roses,” She says finally. “I could go red but red hair stuff always looks weird on me. Man, Sunshine, you’ve gotten so good at this over the years.” She laughs and Rin can hear through her laughter how she’s barely holding her nerves at bay.

Rin digs deeper into the basket that holds the rest of Aria’s hair products and pulls out a few more handmade black velvet rose pins. He slips the first pin into her bundle of teased hair. His tongue pokes out from between his lips in concentration.

“It helps when my hair model is patient.” He slips a few more rose pins into her hair to create a small gathering of roses. “I still can’t believe you kept my shitty rose pins, Ari. If I knew you were going to keep them, I would’ve made you better ones.” Like he even could anymore. Those roses came out so badly, but Rin still doesn't think he could make them look better.

“Hush you. These ones are perfect. Plus, I get to embarrass you with the story every time someone asks where I bought the super cute rose pins. It’s a win-win.”

Rin gives her a harmless glare. “Don’t you dare.”

“I mean, I can’t really take back the million times I’ve done it in the past.”

Rin rolls his eyes in displeasure. She’s exaggerating. She has to be. There’s no way she’s worn those ugly pins outside in public.

Shoving his doubts aside, he hands Aria a handheld mirror and watches her take in her appearance.

“Behold!” He announces theatrically. “My masterpiece!”

The smile on Aria’s face makes Rin’s chest feel warm. “Wow. You never cease to amaze!” She says. She leans over and presses a kiss to his cheek. “If I ever get famous, you’ll make millions of bucks as my stylist.”

Rin laughs. “Thanks, Ari. Glad you like it! Now if only you’d repay me by canceling dinner today.” He flashes her a sickeningly sweet smile, fluttering his eyelashes dramatically in the hopes of swaying her.

She doesn’t look swayed in the least, though. Somehow, that doesn’t surprise him. “I’m repaying you by  _ not  _ canceling dinner tonight.” She pats him on both cheeks then points out to the hallway in silent command. “Gotta get changed. I’ll leave the door open a crack so you can still complain about how I’m ruining your life.”

With an exaggerated sigh, Rin leaves her room crosses the hall to his room, before collapsing in the computer chair. He swings around, thinking about dinner tonight and Aria’s first day of work.

“I can’t believe you’re leaving me alone with…” He screws up his face, trying his best to find the right adjective to describe Louis.  _ Handsome  _ keeps popping up.  _ Gorgeous  _ is another. None of them are the right words to convey his  _ true  _ feelings on the subject, though. He shakes his head. “I can’t believe you’re leaving me alone with  _ him _ .” He finishes lamely.

“ _ Him _ ?” Aria parrots. “He has a name, you know? And he’s actually a really nice guy, Rin. I don’t get what the big deal is.”

“Course you don’t. You’re the  _ normal  _ one among us.” He mutters under his breath. “I would’ve liked to have been there for your first gig at least,” he confesses loud enough for her to hear.

Aria pokes her head through the hallway, violet eyes bright with a determined flare. “You  _ are  _ normal. You’re  _ completely  _ normal, and I’m gonna need you to not say you aren’t.”

“My binder says otherwise.” He quips.

“Actually, it doesn’t say  _ anything _ . Because it's nothing but a piece of fabric which has  _ no sway  _ over how normal you are or aren’t.” with her piece said, she pulls back into the room to continue getting ready.

Rin pouts at the door, partially because he knows she’s right and most likely always will be, but  _ also _ , he pouts because he hates it when she’s right. It makes him feel an asshole for ever thinking otherwise.

“You can stop pouting at me through the wall like you  _ actually  _ think it’s going to change anything.” 

Rin sticks his tongue out at the door, safe in knowing she wouldn’t see his childish behavior. He returns to spinning around in his chair, feeling resigned to his fate. “Still, I would’ve liked to be there.” He says after a moment of silence. “To cheer you on and whatever.”

And for the drinks, but Rin doesn’t think Aria would appreciate it if she heard.

“There’s always tomorrow, Rin.” She reassures him. “Or Sunday. Or next week.” She laughs nervously. “Unless I’m  _ so  _ bad, they fire me on the spot.”

“You’ll be fine, I can feel it in my bones. You’re such a great singer, Ari. You’ll blow them away for sure!”

“Just like you’ll be fine with Louis, Rin.” She points out. “I promise. Don’t be mean to him. Not that I think you would.”

“I could be if I wanted to be,” He grumbles.

Aria pokes her head out of the door again and shoots him a warning glare. “ _ Rin Nathaniel Frey!  _ You wouldn’t! He’s such a nice guy, and he’ll be a great friend to us.” She disappears back into her bedroom. Rin can hear her hustling about inside. “Why would you  _ want  _ to be mean to him?” She calls out after a few seconds of movement.

Rin shrugs, though she can’t see it. It’s not that he  _ wants  _ to be mean to the good looking tour guide. It’s just that… it's easier that way, isn’t it? If having friends has taught Rin anything, it's that you’re less likely to get hurt when you don’t have any, and despite Aria’s wishes, Rin certainly doesn’t  _ want  _ any more friends. The ones he had in high school were… good enough. 

They weren’t  _ friends _ , necessarily. They were just… a group of kids who were just as troubled as Rin was at the time. The only difference between him and them is he wasn’t good enough to stick with them.

Rin shakes the memories away from his mind and sighs. “Aria, you’re the one who wants to be his friend and you won’t even be there. How is that fair? At least I have a right to whine.”

“Okay, but would it be fair to cancel on him on such short notice when you  _ will  _ be here?” She points out with a sigh then steps out of her room. “I’ve never stopped you from whining, Rin. Just… I know you  _ won’t  _ actively be mean to him, but… don’t, okay? You may not want to be friends right now, but take the chance to get to know him.  _ Then  _ you can make a more educated decision about it. If he’s actually a jerk, and I’m wrong, I’ll be  _ happy  _ to let you rub it in my face.” She flashes him a faux-confident smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. Instead, Rin can sense her desire for him to  _ try _ . She’s pleading for him to.

“Fine,” He grumbles with resignation. “But I  _ will  _ hold you up to that. Now that  _ that’s  _ out of the way—” He pulls out his phone from his jeans pocket and points it toward Aria. “Smile for the camera, darling~! You’re gorgeous!” 

The conversational whiplash catches Aria off guard, which is exactly what Rin wants. She blinks at him for a moment then bursts into laughter. “Okay, but at least let me strike a sufficiently goth pose. Can’t have my rep tarnished before I even build one.” She flourishes into a dramatic pose, with her hands carefully poised into the air like a marionette doll and holds.

Rin laughs at the sight before him. He snaps a couple of pictures with his phone from where he sits and decides to up the ante. He pretends to be a photographer, spewing out commands in a terrible accent and manages to grab a few decent shots of Aria’s outfit from various different angles. By the time he’s finished, the front bell rings, startling Rin. His good mood sours.

“Can you get that? Gotta go make sure the food is done and then I gotta jet!”

With a noncommittal grunt, Rin pockets his phone and trudges down the steps. He wills his mind to blank of all thoughts, not in the mood to deal with his own insecurities today. He peeks through the peephole and, without meaning to, he holds his breath. Louis is outside, casually glancing at his surroundings. He’s better dressed today than he was during the tour—not that his outfit was any worse than what Rin usually wears on lazy Fridays—but there’s something about the relaxed state of Louis’ clothes that sets Rin on edge. He swallows his nerves and opens the door.

The smile Louis gives him is stupidly gorgeous, and already, Rin hates the way it makes him feel. Still, he promised Aria he wouldn’t  _ willingly  _ be mean to Louis just to scare the guy off.

“Hey.”

“Hi.” Rin blinks then steps aside almost robotically. “Come in. Food is just about ready.”

As Louis steps into the living room, Rin catches sight of Aria getting the table ready.

“Wow Aria, you look stunning,” Louis compliments with a polite smile. Rin tries not to roll his eyes. He’s not sure if he manages, though. Louis glances at the plates on the table, confusion marring his features. “I hope I’m not intruding on anything?” He turns to Rin then and Rin can practically  _ feel  _ Louis’ curiosity rise when the older boy realizes Rin isn’t exactly clothing that screams “guests are coming!” He’s dressed in a baggy hoodie with black sweats after all. 

“Nope! I can’t really stay long enough to tell you why I’m dressed like this because I’m  _ already  _ really running late so I gotta go, but Rin can tell you where I’m headed. Food’s on the table and you can totally make yourself at home.” She says all of this in one, impressive breath as she maneuvers around the kitchen and then into the living room to grab her coat. “I won’t be back until about three, so I probably won’t catch you before you go, but next time! Have fun you two! Bye!”

She’s out the door before either of them can really process what’s going on, and as Louis turns to Rin, awaiting an explanation, Rin has the sudden urge to smash his head against the table. He rubs his temple, not because of a headache, but because if he doesn’t do  _ something  _ with his hands, he’s going to freak.

“She got scouted this morning and now she’s got a job at a bar called Ichor,” He says by way of explanation. “It was really last second, otherwise she would've been here. Sorry...” He  _ almost  _ finished with “for getting stuck with me” until Rin remembers none of this is his fault, to begin with.

Louis doesn’t catch onto his slip. Instead, his one visible eyebrow disappears into his hair as he processes Rin’s words.

“That’s… amazing.” He breathes, sounding genuinely stunned. Louis glances toward the kitchen and the unserved food still steaming deliciously on the counter. Something passes through his eye that Rin can’t make out, but whatever it is, it makes Rin more anxious. “She found the time to make dinner for us despite her urgency. Your sister is very sweet.”

Rin’s eyes narrow suspiciously, despite the warm feeling in his chest. “She is  _ very  _ sweet and she’s also super unavailable.” He makes his way toward the kitchen, pointedly ignoring Louis’ curiosity, and grabs one of the empty plates from the table. “She’ll also be mad if we don’t eat so, uh, let’s eat?”

Shaking off his confusion, Louis follows him into the kitchen and grabs a plate. Rin steps aside as he approaches and urges him to serve himself first.

“You’re the guest, after all.” He explains nonchalantly. “Its proper etiquette.”

With a faint, polite smile, Louis takes the offered spatula from Rin’s hand and slides a serving of macaroni lasagna onto his plate. Rin watches his profile as he moves, carefully outlining the shape of Louis’ face and admiring the soft curve of his nose or the way the corners of his lips twitch as though suppressing a smile or a frown—Rin isn’t sure which is more likely. His eyes trail up towards Louis’ lashes; they’re long and thick—a feature Rin is positive Louis has probably heard from others on more than one occasion. Everything about Louis is mesmerizing: from the way he moves to the way he speaks; there’s something about this guy that has Rin wracking his brain. More than that, it's the way Louis makes Rin feel that has Rin’s heart pounding in his chest. 

He wants to hate Louis. Louis is the representation of a man that Rin wants to be, from those broad shoulders, to a strong, flat chest. He’s well-spoken, intelligent and well-mannered from what Rin has seen. Louis is the exact opposite of Rin, right down to the finest detail and even though Rin has every reason to dislike him—as childish as they are—Rin finds that he really can’t hate the guy.

“Rin?”

Rin snaps back to reality in time to catch Louis’ curious, yet worried gaze. He stares at the spatula offered between them, and feels heat crawl up the nape of his neck. He takes the spatula rougher than he means to and grimaces.

“S-sorry. I, uh, I zoned out for a second. Thanks.”

“It’s okay, but are you…?”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine. Sorry.”

Rin serves himself dinner and hastily pours themselves something to drink when he realizes their glasses are empty. It’s regular soda for now, but Louis doesn’t seem to mind the fizzy drink and settles right across from Rin at the small dinner table. The silence that stretches between them is awkward, but Rin busies himself with his meal to keep his nerves from showing. He can feel Louis’ eyes on him. He refuses to check why.

“Your sister is an amazing cook. This is delicious.” Louis smiles. It’s not his usual polite smile, the one that barely stretches across his face or reaches his eyes. Rin can sense Louis’ genuineness through his tone. His cheeks start to heat up as he scrambles for a response.

“Y-yeah, she’s pretty good.”

“Do you cook?”

Rin shakes his head, keeping his gaze on his meal. “N-no. Aria thinks I’ll burn the house down if I do.” Louis chuckles and it makes Rin’s face hotter.

He takes a chance and steals a glance at Louis. The smile on his face seems far more genuine than any smile he’s given Rin so far. Rin’s heart skips a beat; he coughs, feeling oddly breathless. He shifts in his chair, wondering if his binder is on too tight again.

“Y-yo-you do it once by accident when you’re a kid and suddenly you’re banned from the kitchen for life.” Rin laughs breathily. He can’t seem to take his eyes off of Louis’ smile.  _ Oh fuck, now I see why he doesn’t smile much. It’s killer. _

“What did you burn?” Louis asks, sounding fond.

Rin frowns at himself.  _ Fond? Why would Louis be fond?! Fond of me?  _ He wills himself to calm down. He can feel himself getting worked up. “I, uh… I burned cereal.”

Louis’ next bite stops halfway toward his mouth. He blinks and parrots: “C-cereal?”

Rin ducks his head into his meal, hyper-aware of how hot his body is becoming. “Yeah, Ari still doesn’t know how I managed that one. Is-is it hot in here or is it just me? I-I-I m-mean like heat-wise, like the temperature. I’m not saying that  _ I’m  _ hot just that the  _ room  _ feels a little hot—are you hot? I-I mean you  _ are  _ hot--no, not like hot-hot, but like  _ hot _ . Like  _ temperature hot _ —holy shit Rin can you stop talking?!” Rin forces his mouth shut and takes a deep breath. Louis cocks an eyebrow, but the amused smirk on his face makes Rin feel like he’s done enough damage already.

“Thank you for the compliment-not-compliment, and, yeah, it  _ is  _ a little hot in here, heh.” He smiles into his dinner, barely containing a laugh.

Rin feels like dying. If the embarrassment isn’t enough to kill him, he’ll certainly take care of the job when this nightmare is all over. He scoots out of his chair and opens up one of the kitchen windows. The cool night air feels refreshing against his overheated skin and one quick glance at his reflection against the dark glass lets Rin know he’s about as red as a tomato. The urge to toss himself out the window is overwhelming, but Rin forces himself to rejoin Louis at the table. 

They fall silent again, the only sounds filling the room is that of their utensils scratching against their plates. Rin fidgets in place, his anxiety creeping into his veins again. As much as he doesn’t want to break the tranquility, having Louis periodically watch him between bites is worse than Rin sticking his foot in his mouth.

Rin swallows his nerves and asks: “W-what about your sister?” He carefully peeks up at Louis and finds the other boy staring back at him. He tries not to break eye contact despite the crazy backflips his heart is doing. God, is his asthma picking up again? Why is he suddenly so breathless? “Y-you mentioned your sister earlier. And her cooking?”

Louis’ visible eye widens in recognition. “Oh! Well…” He looks away, pale cheeks tingeing pink. Rin forces his mind to blank as he listens. “Karen is… she’s great. She doesn’t really have much time to cook, but she makes lunches for me on my busy days. Aurora actually cooks the best of the three of us.”

“Aurora?”

Louis nods for a moment until realization dawns on him. “Oh, right, you haven’t had classes with her yet—if you ever do, actually. She’s the head of the science department. She usually teaches cellular biology and human biology, but she’ll be handling some of the freshman science classes this semester.”

“Oh. Is she your sister too?”

Louis huffs out a breath of laughter. “She’s my sister-in-law, actually. Well,  _ future  _ sister-in-law—” The table jolts violently, rattling the tableware as Rin grimaces in pain. “Are-are you alright?” Louis stammers. 

Rin nods quickly, enough to make him dizzy, but he forces out a laugh when Louis’ concern isn’t assuaged. “W-wha—me? O-oh yeah! I’m fine. Just thought I saw something in my—don’t worry about it. Go on. I’m listening.” He reaches underneath the table and rubs his knee. 

“Are you sure? Did you… did you hurt your leg?”

“Nope, I’m fine! Go on.”

Louis looks like he wants to press the issue, but much to Rin’s relief, he doesn’t. Instead, he frowns into his meal, looking thoughtful. Rin’s stomach flips around anxiously, making him feel queasy. 

“Sorry,” Louis says after a few tense seconds. “I was rambling. I didn’t mean to—”

“No! You’re fine!” Rin interjects frantically. “Please, continue!”

Louis doesn’t look convinced, and a small part of Rin hopes he  _ doesn’t  _ continue, if only to save Rin from continuing the horrible line of thought that just started coursing through his mind. 

By some miracle, Louis doesn’t finish his explanation, but the expression on his face makes Rin feel worse than before. He looks about as uncomfortable as Rin feels. Distantly, Rin wonders if, perhaps, he offended Louis with his reaction. He’s not… against people like Karen and Aurora. He was just… unprepared. Conversations like these always make Rin nervous. It makes him feel like it was some sort of test, one he needed to be prepared for at all cost or Mi—He forces his mind to stop. Now isn’t a good time nor place.

“Hey—”

“So—”

They both pause and share a glance. Rin breaks eye contact first, feeling heat race up the nape of his neck again. Louis’ lips quirk into a small smile. They open their mouths to speak again, but stop. 

“You first,” Louis urges gently.

Rin shakes his head. “N-no, that’s okay. What were you gonna say?”

“I was thinking about what Aria said earlier, on the tour?” At Rin’s confused, blank stare, Louis’ smile broadens. “She mentioned something about you being an artist?”

Rin’s fork suddenly slips out of his hand. It’s not a topic Rin was expecting Louis to go, and yet, somehow, it’s far worse. Aria always has a habit of praising Rin for his pursuit of the fine arts, and while he’s certainly come along way from the stick figures and blocky characters, art is… a sore subject to bring up in the presence of others. It’s much too close to unpleasant memories. More specifically, the ones he’s been  _ trying  _ to avoid since Louis’ casual mention of his sister.

Aria’s suggestion of being nice to Louis replays in Rin’s scattered mind. Guilt wells up inside him, though he isn’t really sure why. Louis has been nothing but patient and kind to him, is he someone Rin could trust with… art? 

It terrifies him. Truly and honestly terrifies him.

The silence stretches on for too long. Rin watches Louis’ smile dim as the seconds tick by. He struggles to formulate the words, but his tongue refuses to work for him. He hopes his expression is neutral to at least give Louis some sense of peace, but he feels like even that is a failure. This whole dinner is turning into a trainwreck that Rin can’t control. His mood sours, though, he hopes it isn’t something Louis can pick up. He doesn’t want Louis to feel bad for Rin's social-awkwardness.

“I’m sorry,” Louis says after a beat. “I must’ve... I’m making you uncomfortable, aren’t I?”

Rin isn’t sure what to say. The urge to deny it is compulsive, but his tongue doesn’t move and he can’t summon up the energy to voice his concerns. Instead, he pushes his lasagna around on his plate. He can’t see the expression on Louis’ face—nor does he want to—but he can sense the other boy’s disappointment. Something heavy falls in the pit of his stomach. He’s a failure at this “making friends” thing. Aria will be so disappointed in him.

Louis’ heavy sigh sounds thunderous in Rin’s ears. “I’m sorry for imposing on you, Rin.”

“No, the fault is mine. I’m just… my sister thought… She’s a great person, Louis. I promise you. I’m sorry, she should’ve been here.”

“You don’t have to apologize—”

“No, I do,” Rin interjects. “but thank you for humoring me. This was… this was nice.”

It surprises Rin how much he actually means it.

They finish the rest of their dinner in silence, though it's not as awkward as before, and for that Rin is grateful. Louis cleans up after himself despite Rin’s protests and thanks him for the meal. He apologizes again for the awkwardness, and as Rin watches him leave, he can’t help but feel like a failure.

As the door closes behind him, Rin rubs a hand against his face.

“‘Don’t be mean,’ ‘he’s a nice person’,” Rin scoffs pathetically at no one. “Yeah, well, you forgot to take into account how much of an idiot I am, sis.” He leans against the door and smacks the back of his head lightly against the solid wood. “Sorry Louis, you didn’t deserve that kind of embarrassment, but honestly? Aria should’ve known better.”

_ At least this will be the last time I see him.  _ Rin muses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rin is a mess and I love him ♥


	4. Aria (II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aria's first night at the bar goes pretty well, for the most part. Also... she meets a cute bartender. :eyes:

At first, Aria is incredibly nervous to walk into Ichor. Despite the assurances that the owner gave to Rin about it  _ actually _ being a bar, Rin's words about not really being able to know for sure ring in her mind and she worries that maybe she's walking into trouble. Eventually, she tamps down that instinct and goes in.

Fortunately, everything turns out fine. Eva greets her at the door, eager and happy to see her, and immediately starts showing her around in a quick flourish.

To say that Aria is completely overwhelmed is an understatement. The bar is small enough, and while she isn't  _ super _ fond of meeting a lot of new people at once, the number of people around her now is manageable. 

Even so, it still feels like a trial by fire.

The thought of playing for a group of drunks is more nerve-wracking than it has any right to be. As Eva introduces her to the bar's owner and the staff, her nerves increase; especially as one of the bartenders (the cute one with a name that begins with a Y, with his bright red hair tied into a ponytail) gives her a slightly more lingering stare than anyone else does. 

She greets them all politely but nervously, and her nerves only grow when Eva introduces her to the house band. They're nice enough, and when Aria gives them the list of songs Rin helped her come up with, they're more than confident that they'll be able to play them. It's a relief, but as she listens to them practicing the background music to "Crazy On You" by Heart, she realizes that this is really happening.

A war wages in her mind. She's happy, but she's nervous, and she looks around the bar with nervous eyes, only to catch Eva's eye. The woman is smiling at her, standing next to a taciturn looking man in a leather jacket, with bright white hair. Eva steps away from the man and approaches Aria eagerly.

"So, what do you think?" Eva asks with a gentle smile.

Aria blinks as she turns to meet Eva's gaze. "Uh, honestly… I'm not sure  _ what _ to think at the moment," she admits as she turns to glance at the clock. It's six-thirty. She laughs halfheartedly. "But I should probably figure it out quick, huh?"

The smile on Eva's face softens, and she places her hand on Aria's shoulder. "You'll be fine, I'm sure of it," she reassures Aria. "Your first set doesn't start until eight, so you have a little more time to wrap your brain around things."

"Honestly, I wish it'd just… start," Aria laughs against her volition. "The more time I have to wrap my mind around it, the more time I have to get nervous, which means I have more time to overthink and sing the wrong notes and—"

Eva cuts her off with a soft laugh and shakes her head. "Don't overthink. Don't panic. Just sing the way you were when we met and you'll be fine."

Aria smiles back, though hers is significantly more strained than Eva's. She takes a quick glance around the bar and pauses, watching as the taciturn man in the leather jacket steps up to the bar and orders a drink. He talks to the cute bartender with the Y-name for a few seconds, then both men turn to look at Aria. Aria scoffs and looks away.

"What's wrong?" Eva asks.

With a scowl on her face, Aria motions to the bar with her chin. "That guy keeps looking at me. Not your fiancé—sorry, I totally forgot his name among the other million names I just learned—" she admits with a nervous laugh, "The bartender. Whatshisname. Y-something."

Chuckling, Eva turns toward the bar. "Yakumo. And my fiancé's name is Jack."

"Right. Jack," Aria nods. "I'll probably forget again, sorry. Yakumo keeps staring at me, though. It's weird."

Undaunted, Eva smiles softly. "You're going to have a lot more people staring at you soon, Aria," she points out, then chuckles again. "Yakumo is harmless. He's good friends with Jack, and he's actually kept drunk patrons from acting like idiots and hitting on me on more than one occasion. He's a nice guy."

The mention of drunk patrons catches Aria's attention, and she winces. How had she not considered  _ that _ aspect of things before? It isn't Aria's  _ first _ time around drunks, but thinking about aggressive drunks, thinking about  _ touchy _ drunks… 

She shakes her head, meeting Eva's gaze. "I don't know how the whole drunken idiots getting touchy thing didn't occur to me before," she admits. "Does it happen often?"

" _ Often _ is a stretch," Eva reassures her. "Whenever it does, Yakumo is always there to stop it before it gets out of hand. I really don't know how he manages."

Aria turns her gaze back to Yakumo, who looks away from her with an almost-sheepish grin on his face, before he turns to wipe nonexistent dust from the bar. She looks him over from across the room, and against her volition, she feels the corners of her mouth curling up into a smile. He's pretty attractive; tall, lean, and muscular, but not so muscular that it makes him look like a brick house. She quickly tears her eyes away from him and turns to look at Eva.

_ Not your type, Aria. Not your type. _

A more accurate deterrent would have been a reminder that she's most likely not  _ his _ type, but for some reason, her mind doesn't go there. 

The hour before Aria has to get on stage seems to fly by. Aria practices with the band, and the four of them get a feel for each other's musicality. They seem impressed with how well her voice carries. Eva was absolutely right. In a normal room, Aria finds that she doesn't need a microphone for her voice to carry, but in a bar full of drunks, she absolutely will. 

They quickly find that Aria's voice fits perfectly with the band, and she feels more confident than she ever expected to.

When the time finally comes and Aria steps on stage, she realizes that she's  _ tragically _ underprepared for the stage patter she'll have to do. She's done stage patter into her mirror before when she fantasizes about being on stage in front of a crowd, but none of that is even close to good enough to prepare her for this. Still, she looks out across the crowd—some are students, but some patrons look like they're older, too—and swallows her nerves.

"H-hi—" Aria starts, but stops abruptly when she realizes her voice is coming out in a squawk. She clears her throat and tries again. "Hi! Y-you may have noticed that I'm not Revenant's usual frontwoman. I'm… I'm Aria Frey, and I'm the new weekend singer around here!"

The room is quiet. Painfully quiet. No one seems to be reacting at all, except for that  _ Yakumo _ guy, who's watching her with eager, interested eyes. Aria finds her nerves mounting again. Her heart pounds so hard that she can hear it in her ears, and her hands tremble as she reaches to pull the microphone from the stand.

She spots Eva in the crowd, who smiles at her and nods encouragingly. Between that, and the excitement on that Yakumo guy's face, she manages to find her voice again.

"L-let's jump right into it, huh?" she squeaks. "The… the best way for you to get used to me is to hear me sing, right? S-so, here's uh… here's one of my favorites, 'Crazy on You' by Heart!"

Then, the music starts.

At first, Aria doesn't know what to do with herself. Her mind is moving too fast for her body to catch up, trying to come up with  _ something _ to do to fill the nothing, and it only slows down when she thinks of the old advice Rin gave her for 'when she inevitably made it to the stage.' She remembers him telling her to perform like she always performs when it's just the two of them, so that's what she does. 

Between that and Eva's advice to let loose and be like she was on campus, it isn't long before Aria is singing and dancing seamlessly with the band. In the middle of the song, during an instrumental break, she hazards a glance out at the crowd and notices that they're  _ actually _ into it, and she's so stunned she almost misses her next vocal cue. As it is, she's a little pitchy, but no one—other than Eva—seems to notice. The only notice Eva gives is a slight wince, but she smiles encouragingly once again as she sips her drink and taps her toes along with the music.

Aria's confidence builds as she continues, and her next bit of stage patter is much less fumbling. She still stammers, and her voice squawks once, but she feels slightly more confident.

The set continues, and by the end, Aria feels way more comfortable on stage than she ever thought she would. The house band is great and the bar patrons seem to respond well to her. Every now and then, she'll notice Yakumo staring at her, and she almost fumbles over her music once because of it, but she manages to keep it together. By the end of the first set, she feels like she's on top of the world.

She sits backstage with the house band, practicing the next crop of songs they're going to play.

Her increased comfort must be showing, because the leader of the house band—the drummer, Daryl—keeps noticing little movements she makes when she dances and tells her to keep going. So, she does. She practices her dance moves along with her singing, spinning and swaying the way she did when Eva noticed her on campus.

When Daryl calls for a break and the others join him, Aria is left to her own devices while they chatter aimlessly. She glances at herself in the mirror and smiles. She's a singer. She's the frontwoman of an actual, real band. It still doesn't feel real. It feels like an elaborate prank, like someone is going to yank the rug out from under her any minute now.

"Hey."

The voice jumps her almost out of her skin. It's unfamiliar, and she whirls around to find out who the carrier is. Surprise flashes over her face when she sees that bartender, Yakumo, looking at her with a friendly smile.

Aria blinks. "Uh, hi…" she answers, then turns toward the rest of the band.

Immediately, she wonders if Yakumo is here to see one of them. They're all off in their own little world, talking among themselves, and Yakumo isn't looking their way, anyway. He's still watching her, smiling.

Curiosity arches her eyebrow upward as she turns toward him again. "Can I help you?"

The smile on Yakumo's face falters slightly, but he laughs nervously. "Sorry, am I bugging you?" he asks.

Aria's gut tells her to say yes. He's a stranger, a  _ cute _ stranger, and every protective instinct she has tells her that this is a dangerous situation; one she needs to get out of. She turns to Yakumo to tell him that yes, he is bothering her, but something about the disappointed look on his face ultimately pulls her in the other direction. He looks like a kicked puppy, his yellow-green eyes dejected and his lips curled down into a frown.

"No," Aria says before she can stop herself. "No, I… sorry. I didn't mean to snap. I'm just overwhelmed. This whole day's been chaotic. A lot's happened in a very short time. You're Yakumo, right?"

He nods, the easy smile coming back to his face like someone had flicked a switch in his head. "Yeah," he answers. "I spotted you over here while I was taking my break, and I just thought I'd let you know that you're doing great up there! I've never heard a voice like yours before, and your stage presence? Just… wow. You're all over the place!"

A small smile spreads across Aria's face, and she finds herself looking at the floor in a feeble attempt to hide it. "All over the place, huh?" she asks, chuckling and trying to sound nonchalant. "Hope that's a good thing."

Yakumo nods again. "It is! I mean, all the best performers have  _ crazy _ stage presence. They dance around and jump and sing effortlessly. You look like you've been doing this your whole life!" He sits down in a nearby chair.

After a too-long silence, during which Aria just stands there stunned, she blinks to awareness and answers him. "Th-thanks," she says. "This is actually… I've never been on stage before, so this is kinda trial by fire. Trial by drunken fire, no less."

The incredulous look on Yakumo's face takes her by surprise. "Wait, seriously? You've  _ never _ done this before?" he asks.

"No? Is that really that surprising?"

"Yeah!" Yakumo calmly gestures toward her. "I mean… you're really good. I guess with that  _ voice _ , I just thought… wow. Never, huh?"

Red tinges Aria's cheeks. "Uh… no. Never," she admits.

Smirking, Yakumo meets her gaze again. Something passes through his yellow-green eyes, but it's hard for Aria to identify. "Man. I've heard of natural talent before, but that's… wow," he muses. "If this is your first night, I really can't wait to see how amazing you are with time."

The compliment takes her by surprise, and she's unable to keep the redness from shading her cheeks even further. "Uh… th-thanks," she stammers.

"I can tell you love it, so I—"

From the office, Aria hears Gustav—Ichor's owner—calling Yakumo's name. Yakumo glances over his shoulder, then turns back to Aria with a sheepish smile.

"Better go see what he wants," he chuckles. "Maybe we can talk later, though?"

Immediately, suspicion crops up like a dark radar ping in the back of Aria's mind. She finds herself cynically wondering what his angle is. She doesn't ask. Instead, she simply nods and gives him a thin-lipped smile. "Sure. I mean, I'll be here every weekend, right?"

Yakumo's smile is megawatt and it takes Aria off guard. "Great!" he answers eagerly. "I'll catch you later."

It's… strange. Aria isn't typically very social. She doesn't make friends easily, and most people avoid her because of the way she dresses. Today has been an anomaly in so many ways. Between Eva and Yakumo—not to mention Daryl and the rest of Revenant—she's already feeling somewhat overwhelmed and her social meter is already higher than it's ever been before.

"Hey, Frey!" Daryl's voice catches her attention, and she turns toward him. "C'mere. We wanna practice the bridge to 'Any Way You Want It.'"

Aria nods and hurries to join them, thankful for the distraction from her thoughts.

~

The second half of the set goes even better at first. Aria's confidence is higher, because during their practice, the band had deemed her "exactly what they were looking for," and Daryl mentioned several songs he already knew that were "perfect for her." He promised a list of them for next weekend's shows, and the fact that they're willing to adjust their sets for her sends her confidence even higher.

Of course, that doesn't change the fact that Aria is still Aria. She still stammers in her stage patter and her performance isn't  _ perfect _ —in fact, she trips over her skirt and almost falls off the stage once, but no one seems to notice—but it's way better than she ever could've expected it to be. She catches Yakumo looking her way at lulls in the bar, and she tries to ignore it, but something about the look in his eyes keeps drawing her attention.

At the end of the performance, Eva approaches her with a wide smile on her face.

"I knew you were the right woman for the job!" Eva announces with an eager smile as she nods excitedly.

Aria is still breathless from the high-intensity performance of 'Renegade' by Styx that they used as their closing number, but she manages a soft laugh in response to Eva's compliment. "I… guess," she puffs. "If only I wasn't… such a… stammering mess in between songs."

The smile on Eva's face doesn't falter. "It was your first night. Your first time on stage, no less," she points out. "It took me  _ years _ to be any good with patter. You're a natural, though. It looked like you've been doing this for years."

A shy smile crosses Aria's face. "Thanks," she murmurs. "Yakumo told me the same thing."

"Did he?" Eva asks. A tiny grin crosses her face as she looks at Yakumo over her shoulder. Just as quickly, she turns back to Aria. "Anyway, I need to head home for the night. Jack left a little while ago and I'd like to catch up to him. But I'll be back tomorrow, okay? I'm excited to watch you perform again!"

Aria smiles wider. "Okay! I'll see you then!"

Eva starts to walk away, but stops after a few steps. She turns to Aria with that grin still on her face. "You know, you should reward yourself with a drink," she tells Aria. "You were excellent up there. I would say the star of the night deserves a sip or two of her preferred drink, wouldn't you?"

Blinking, Aria glances over to the bar. "I… I guess…" she murmurs.

"Anyway, good night!" Eva waves her farewell, then turns and departs the bar without another word.

_ A drink  _ would _ be nice _ , Aria thinks. She straightens her skirt, and glances down at herself. She can't remember the last time she was this sweaty, and the thought makes her laugh as she tucks some amethyst hair behind her ear and approaches the bar. She sees Yakumo a few feet away, talking to a pair of middle-aged men about a hockey game or something. 

He'd announced last call right before the band started their last song, so Aria hopes she has enough time to get a drink. When he spots Aria, he quickly excuses himself from the conversation, and heads her way.

"Hey, Superstar. What can I get you?"

Aria turns her eyes toward the counter. "Blue Hawaiian?" she asks.

Nodding, Yakumo says, "You got it," before gathering what he needs to mix her drink.

The smile on Yakumo's face makes Aria's stomach flip weirdly, and she ignores it as she watches him work. In spite of herself, she can't help but smile. There's something strangely genuine about him, she notices. His kindness doesn't  _ seem _ fake, but then again, she doesn't have the best track record with judging people's intent. The thought makes the smile fade as she looks down at the bar.

As Aria is lost in her thoughts, an unfamiliar, slurring voice catches her ear from close by.  _ Too _ close by.

"Hey… is that  _ you _ ?"

Aria lifts her head and follows the sound. The voice is coming from an  _ obviously _ inebriated man. He's about five-feet-eleven, with shaggy brown hair and brown eyes. He isn't that old, Aria reasons. He looks like he could either be a college student or a recent grad, and he looks at Aria with an obnoxious smirk on his lips. Realization settles in his eyes, and he takes another drink from his beer, before nodding lazily.

"It  _ is _ you! Stage girl! Whatever your name is!" He grins wider and flops drunkenly onto the stool next to Aria. "You're pretty hot."

Blinking back surprise, Aria furrows her brow. "Thanks?"

The man doesn't even seem to acknowledge her. He checks her out shamelessly, then continues. "Smaller tits than the other chick that sings here, but your ass is  _ way _ bigger, so I guess that makes up for it," he muses.

Initially, Aria is too surprised to say anything, but her defenses quickly rise. Between the look in this asshole's eyes and the way he's swinging his half-empty beer mug around, she can tell this situation is going to be trouble. Even so, she can't help but speak up in her own defense.

"Yeah, well, it's a shame that  _ no _ ass is big enough to make up for that tiny little pathetic caterpillar between your legs," Aria snaps. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta be pretty much anywhere but here."

Before she can get too far, the guy scoffs and calls out to her. "What the fuck, bitch? It was a compliment!"

Aria rolls her eyes and looks over her shoulder. "Yeah, well maybe I'm not interested in your kind of compliment, Pencil Dick," she hisses.

Before Aria realizes it, she feels a hand clasping her bicep. The guy whirls her around and levels her with an irritated glare. "No need to be so uptight about it, you little prude—"

God, she hates that word. Prude. Bitch. Slut. All those stupid whiny things guys call women when their pathetic pride has been damaged. So far, this asshole has hit two of the three. She narrows her eyes, lifts her free hand, and slaps him as hard as she can in his left cheek.

" _ Fuck _ you," she seethes. "Let go of me you fucking prick!"

The asshole huffs. "You little  _ bitch _ !" he booms. "I swear to god I'm gonna—"

It seems like the next few seconds happen in high speed, but slow motion at the same time. Aria sees the asshole ball his fist and raise it to punch her. She has no time whatsoever to react. 

As he surges his fist forward, Aria watches in stunned silence as Yakumo seems to appear out of nowhere and catches the drunk asshole's fist in midair. The smack of impact takes her off guard and she flinches as though the punch hit her. She's still quiet, shocked, as Yakumo tightens his grip just slightly on the bro's hand. 

It's way hotter than it has any right to be.

She shakes the thought off quickly, looking between Yakumo and the drunk asshole a couple of times. She still can't quite find the words to articulate how annoyed she is, so she just glares at the drunk asshole instead.

"What the  _ fuck _ man?" the drunk asshole snaps. "That  _ hurts _ !"

Yakumo's voice is a low threat as he replies. "Yeah, about as much as it would've hurt her if that punch connected. I suggest you get the hell out of here, before I get  _ really _ pissed," he rumbles, releasing the guy's hand.

The asshole scoffs and sizes Yakumo up. It looks like he's considering fighting back for a brief moment, but he ultimately decides it's a bad idea. He takes a step back and huffs. "Fucking bitch should learn to take a compliment," he complains as he skulks off.

Aria scoffs as she takes her seat back at the bar. "Compliment. What a fucking asshole," she seethes.

"You okay?" Yakumo asks.

The sound of his voice surprises Aria, and she sits up straight and turns to look at him. "Huh? Oh, uh… yeah. I'm fine, thanks." She nods. "Where'd you even come from, anyway? Last I knew you were still back there making my drink."

Yakumo laughs, shaking the kinks from his hand as he crosses back to the other side of the bar. "Speaking of which, here," he says, offering her drink across to her.

"Thanks," Aria mumbles.

With a smile, Yakumo shrugs. "I saw him coming up to you. Wanted to make sure the situation didn't get too carried away. Came out from behind the bar when I heard you call him a caterpillar. Ouch, by the way," he smirks.

Aria smirks as she sips her drink. "Yeah, well… guys like that are always compensating for something. Usually a caterpillar," she muses, then turns to glance at Yakumo's hand. "He didn't hurt your hand too bad, did he?"

"Yeah. It stings a little, but it's nothing a little ice won't fix," Yakumo answers, then after a pause, he turns his gaze toward Aria.

Self-consciousness has her looking down at herself, wondering if she's still sweaty and gross or something. "What?" she asks, turning to look his way again.

Yakumo shakes his head quickly. "Nothing, it's just…" He laughs awkwardly, then shakes his head again. "Nothing. Are you on your way out?"

She nods. "Probably after this drink, yeah. Why?"

As Yakumo wipes the bar, he shrugs nonchalantly and turns his head down to watch his cleaning strokes. "If you wanna hang around for another half hour or so, I can walk you home," he offers.

The offer takes Aria by surprise, to say the least. She watches him closely, and is surprised by how he won't meet her eye. "You don't have to do that," she insists. "I can handle myself, and—"

"— _ and _ it's almost two in the morning," Yakumo finishes with a chuckle. "We work at a bar. People out there are gonna be drunk. If you almost got punched by some random asshole in here, then…"

Aria scoffs. "I can handle—"

She stops abruptly. It's almost offensive, even though Aria  _ knows _ Yakumo doesn't mean it that way. It's not like she's some helpless, delicate flower. She's lived through a lot. She's seen things she's willing to bet most of the people in this bar can't even imagine. Still, she thinks of what Rin would say in this situation. He'd probably insist that she let  _ him _ walk her home, because she doesn't know this guy from a hole in the ground.

Since Rin isn't here, though, and Yakumo seems nice enough, she sighs in resignation. "Fine. If you want… I guess I don't mind." She takes another sip from her drink.

Yakumo smiles. "Cool."

Before they can talk any further, Gustav flags Yakumo down again to ask him a question. Aria goes quiet, pulling her phone from her pocket and humming along to the Journey song playing through the bar's sound system. She pulls up her text conversation with Rin and types a quick message for him.

<sunshine i've got so much to tell you when i get home. or tomorrow. whichever>

After she hits send, she looks up and catches sight of Yakumo, who's already heading her way.

"Hey, Gustav said he'd close for me tonight, if you wanted to leave early," Yakumo offers with a smile. "If not, that's cool. I can wait."

Aria shakes her head. "Nah, I think the night's catching up to me," she admits with a laugh as she slides out of her stool.

Yakumo chuckles lightly as he swings his coat over his shoulders and slides his arms into the sleeves. "Yeah, you were a ball of energy up there," he smirks as he leads her out the back door.

As it turns out, Yakumo's description is reasonably accurate. The people from the bar, and all the other bars in the area, have dispersed. Now, they litter the streets as they walk back to their respective houses and apartments. Aria hears an argument in the distance, and she can't resist the urge to glance over her shoulder. A woman chases a man across the street, shouting expletives at him as he flips her off and curses her out in return.

It reminds her of nights on the street, when she and Rin were witness to things that a pair of sixteen-year-olds should never have to see. Fights, assaults… she swears once or twice they saw the precursors to murders. She shakes the thought quickly, and turns to look at Yakumo.

"Guess it never occurred to me that working at a bar would mean being exposed to that," she almost says 'again,' but thankfully stops herself. "I can handle myself though."

Yakumo nods. "I don't doubt it. The guy reeled back when you slapped him," he muses with a smirk. "Still, safety in numbers, right?"

Aria shrugs. "I guess," she mumbles.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I really don't mind."

With a shrug she hopes is nonchalant, Aria answers, "I wasn't. Worried, I mean." It's not true, of course. She doesn't want to put Yakumo out, and she doesn't want to look like a damsel in distress, because she can  _ handle _ distress, but here she is, being walked home. "Anyway, it's not super far. I'm sure you want to get home and sleep before the sun comes out."

"Not if it means leaving you in the middle of the vulture's nest," Yakumo answers, pointing over his shoulder at the argument, still going on behind them.

Aria laughs. "Hey, don't insult vultures like that, they're way smarter than a bunch of drunk idiots," she muses.

Yakumo laughs. "Yeah, you're right," he agrees, putting his hands in his pants pockets. "They're more like caterpillars."

With a genuine peal of laughter that garners a couple of stares from a group of people across the street, Aria looks up at Yakumo with a shrug. "Any guy who comments on a girl's boob size the first time he talks to her is lucky if he's even a caterpillar, okay? He's more like… an ant or a flea or something."

The laugh Yakumo gives in response is just as loud as Aria's. "He didn't even know what he was talking about, anyway. They're totally fine," he says nonchalantly, his eyes still focused on the pavement.

Aria wonders if he even realizes what he just said. Her cheeks heat up, and she finds herself glad that it's dark enough out for him not to see. "Uh… thanks."

It seems like Yakumo is unaware of what he said, if the way he jumps to the next topic is any indication. "So, Eva mentioned you go to Vein U. Senior?" he asks.

Somehow, Aria manages to shake her embarrassment, and she shakes her head. "Late freshman, actually. My twin brother and I both had a couple reasons we couldn't go to college at eighteen, so here we are. Twenty-two-year-old freshman in a sea of eighteen-year-olds," she muses.

"Hey, I have no room to judge," Yakumo smirks. "I'm twenty-five, and I've never even been to college. I think that puts you one step ahead of me."

Aria shrugs. "I don't think there's really… an age limit on starting college, actually," she offers. "Like, I've seen a couple middle-aged students on campus, and I've heard stories about  _ super _ old people going back to college just so they can learn more, you know? I don't think… I don't think anyone's any steps behind or ahead of anyone else. Some people are on different tracks, that's all."

"Different tracks," Yakumo repeats, seeming to turn the concept over in his head. "I like that. Way better than thinking I'm a million miles behind everyone I know. Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

In spite of herself, Aria can't help but smile. "Don't mention it."

Aria is surprised when she looks around, and realizes that they've already made it to the campus apartment complex. Had they really talked the whole walk back? Had she really managed to maintain a conversation with a relative stranger for that long? She shakes herself out of her surprise and turns to Yakumo.

"I'm right over there," she tells him, pointing to her apartment, which she can see clearly from where they stand. "You don't have to walk me to my door. I can take it from here."

Yakumo follows her hand to where she points, then looks back at her. "You sure?"

"Yeah. Thanks, though. I owe you one."

With an easy smile, Yakumo shakes his head. "Nah, you don't. Don't worry about it," he insists. "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

Smirking, Aria nods. "Unless I somehow managed to get fired on my first night? Yeah, you'll see me tomorrow," she answers with a laugh.

Yakumo chuckles. "All right, cool," he answers. "Have a good night, Aria."

"Yeah, you too!" Aria answers, far more genuine than she expected to, and then turns to head home.

As Aria makes her way back to the apartment, she casts a glance over her shoulder at Yakumo as he walks away. That didn't end anywhere near the way Aria expected. Usually, when a guy walks a girl like Aria home, they only have one thing in mind, but Yakumo—despite an offhand comment about her boobs—didn't even  _ ask _ to come into her apartment.

She watches as he turns a corner and disappears from view, then she turns back toward the apartment. While she doesn't exactly understand why he'd insisted on walking her home, she's grateful for it. Maybe Rin isn't the  _ only _ one who made a friend tonight.

With a sheepish smile on her face, she turns around and continues toward the apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TFW the 'put together' twin is also a mess.


	5. Rin (III)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin lifts his glass toward Yakumo as if to toast to him and takes another drink.
> 
> “Rin?” A familiar voice asks and suddenly, Rin is choking on his alcohol. 
> 
> “Holy—fuck—” He rasps between breaths, smacking his chest despite knowing it won’t save him from the alcohol burning his trachea. He takes a deep breath the moment he’s able to and whirls around, coming face to face with Louis. “It’s you!” 

With the dinner fiasco behind him and Aria still at work, Rin has no choice but to preoccupy his thoughts with music. What he  _ should  _ be doing is sleeping, not staying up past midnight working on… well, Rin isn’t sure what he’s working on. 

He has a blank canvas in front of him; several layers are already open, ready for when he needs them, but Rin isn’t sure what he plans on doing. He wants to draw that much he’s sure of. Yet, every time Rin tries to think of an image, his mind draws a blank. When he thinks back to the dinner, he recalls Louis’ genuine smile, the way his eye lit up or the expressions of concern he cycled through during their interaction. Rin can remember all of Louis’ finer details, like the slight creases his real smiles make in his skin, or the long length of his lashes. 

He hates that he’s aware of this. He’s only seen the guy twice in his whole life and already Rin is familiarizing himself with the individual strands of Louis’ hair, or the way his eyes are the most perplexing shade of red he’s ever seen, and Rin isn’t sure how he can replicate it on his laptop.

He shakes the thoughts away and heaves a heavy sigh. He sets his drawing pen down on the desk and  _ thinks _ . He lets the music flow into his ears, taking in the sounds, the lyrics, and the voice, and letting it lift his spirits. Music isn’t something Rin found solace in. That was more of an  _ Aria  _ thing. She is capable of losing herself in a song, but Rin? He can't quite disengage with reality for long enough to do that. No, his main solace is art. Working with his hands, wracking his brain for ideas, muttering complaints and curse words under his breath when his art projects take on lives of their own— _ that's  _ where he finds his solace. 

Right now, though, it's being a pain in the ass.

Luckily for him, Aria decides to make her presence known. “Still up, huh, Sunshine?”

“Yeah,” He muses, pulling out and earbud and turning toward her. “How was your first day at work?”

Her smile is easily the brightest thing in the room, and seeing it on Aria’s face,  _ genuine _ for once, makes Rin’s chest feel warm. “It was… I can’t even begin to explain how awesome it was. I mean, I was a bit of a disaster on the in-between-bits—the stage patter and all that crap—and if you'd been there you probably would've had blackmail for a month or more based on that alone, but I think… I  _ think _ I did okay. Everyone said I did, but you know how people are.”

“Then  _ I  _ think you did phenomenally.” He smiles. “What was it like? Were there a lot of people? How were your co-workers? Do you get free drinks?” He doesn’t stop to breathe between questions until his eyes were as wide as saucers. “Tell me  _ everything _ , Ari!”

“He says, even though he didn’t see me perform,” She muses with a soft chuckle. “It was...exciting. I was so nervous at first, like… going from not singing in front of people ever to singing in front of a room full of thirty drunk people and ten not-drunk people? I was  _ so _ nervous, and I think I flubbed a note in my first song and when I tried my first bit of stage patter I sounded like a squawking chicken or something. But I got into it and…” 

Aria’s smile changes. There’s something warm to it, something soft; it's something that strikes him as out of place for the story she’s telling. “...one of the bartenders said I had 'crazy' stage presence. Eva seems impressed. Also, I  _ think _ I get free drinks, because the bartender never charged me for the one I had.”

“Oh, a bartender, huh?” He grins. “What’s his name? Is he nice?” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

“Rin,  _ please _ .” She scoffs with mock offense, but Rin knows he’s on to something. Aria carefully avoids his gaze as she continues: “His name's Yakumo, though. He  _ is _ pretty nice. He uh… helped me out of a jam.”

Rin sits up, his good humor souring. “What kind of jam?”

“Oh, it was nothing. Just some idiot drunk asshole trying to come on to me.” She says it so nonchalantly like it really hadn’t been a big deal when Rin knows for a damn fact that a situation like that  _ is  _ a big deal. It’s a  _ huge  _ deal. “I slapped him, he didn't like it, he got mad and Yakumo sort of…” She trails off with a light-hearted chuckle, as though remembering something humorous. “He  _ literally _ caught the dude's fist in the air. Like one of those ninjas in the movies or something. It was kinda cool.” She turns her face away from him then, and Rin isn’t sure if the gesture is meant to hide her reaction from the story or to keep from seeing it. 

Either way, Rin doesn’t like it one bit.

“Aria, that’s not 'nothing', that’s pretty serious!” There’s more he wants to say, but something about Aria’s relaxed posture and the beaming smile she’d given him before, prevents him from continuing. He’s going to start another argument if he presses and he doesn’t want to be the reason why she goes to bed upset again. Instead, Rin shoves aside his concerns and gives her a languid smirk. “So he rescued the damsel in distress, sounds like a hero. Did you get his number?”

“I was  _ not _ in distress! I could've handled it!” She scoffs, for real this time. “I think you're getting the wrong idea, Sunshine.”

“Considering you lovestruck you sounded earlier, I think I’ve got a pretty good idea of what’s going on in that head of yours.”

“There are not enough words in the English language to describe how wrong you are.” She huffs.

“Uh huh, but  _ did  _ you get his number?” Rin presses. “At least to thank him for, you know, helping you.”

“Why would I need his number for that? I work with him.”

Rin hums to himself innocently, though the smirk on his lips is telling. “Valid point, dear sister.” He quips.

“You’re definitely getting the wrong idea, though.” She shakes her head. “He’s… not my type. Super not my type.”

“You say that, but the way you were smiling dreamily earlier as you were talking about the guy tells me otherwise.”

Aria rolls her eyes. “I smile when I talk about you, so that doesn’t mean anything. Anyway, enough about me and what’s his name.” She waves a hand dismissively in the direction Rin assumes Ichor is in. “How was dinner?”

“Pretty sure his name was...” —In a high pitched voice that sounds like a terrible imitation of Aria’s— “ _ Yakumo _ !” He snickers, but his good mood sobers instantly, now that he can’t avoid her question any longer. “Dinner was fine. It was delicious. Thank you for slaving away at the oven and feeding me.”

Before Rin has a chance to react, Aria snatches a pillow from his bed and whacks him with it. “I do not sound like that!” She punctuates every word with a smack and then sits on his bed, clutching the pillow tightly. Rin laughs.

“Okay, but that isn’t what I was asking about and you know it. I believe I fed you and Louis, unless him showing up as I was leaving was a nervousness-related hallucination, which I doubt it was. So, how was  _ company _ ?” She presses.

He sighs and rolls his eyes, though not at  _ her  _ specifically. “Maybe it  _ was  _ a hallucination. I don’t seem to recall any tour guides having dinner with me. Hm. A shame. I should tell Coco about your tour guide related hallucinations.”

Aria frowns disapprovingly. “Sunshine,” She presses again. When he doesn’t immediately respond, she hums. “So, you’re telling me I have to go visit him before work to find out how it went? ‘Cause you know I will.”

Rin shoots her a look. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Rin, who are you talking to? I would  _ absolutely  _ dare.” She nods sagely.

Rin throws his hands in the air in defeat and collapses against his computer chair. “Okay. Fine, I’ll tell you. It was terrible. I made him feel uncomfortable but I told him my weirdness doesn’t extend to you so you guys  _ should  _ still be able to be friends. But what happened at dinner was a  _ disaster  _ and if you ever leave me alone with strangers again, I’m crawling into a hole and dying.”

Internally, he cringes, but Aria is too busy reacting to his word vomit to really take in what he’s saying and for that, he’s grateful.

“Whoa, whoa, hold up, slow your roll there Talker Johnson III.” She abandons her pillow and turns toward him, crossing her legs on his bed. “How was it a disaster?”

“Ugh, it was terrible, Ari.  _ I  _ was the disaster. I couldn’t even keep up a conversation!” He buries his face behind his hand, recalling his disastrous encounter with Louis and how he couldn’t seem to catch his breath. “Also, either we might have to buy me a new binder or my asthma is returning because I just could not breathe around this guy. Like, it didn’t matter how deep a breath I took, I just kept…  _ losing  _ it whenever he looked at me.” He groans dismally, sinking into his chair until another memory rears its ugly head. “Did you know his sister is gay? Or pan, or bi or whatever. Actually, he didn’t really confirm that so I probably shouldn’t presume but she’s definitely not straight.”

Once again, Aria doesn’t react to his rambling and queries, “Did the breathing trouble come on slowly, like usual? Or was it fast?”

Rin rolls his eyes again. “That’s not important, Ari. What  _ is  _ important is that you’re not acknowledging the fact that his sister is…” He struggles to find the right word. Every possible descriptor he’s heard growing up flashes through his mind in a second. None of them are good words to use and he if vocalizes them, he runs the risk of hurting Aria again. He settles on a word he  _ thinks  _ is safe. Hopes it is.  _ Prays it is _ . “...different.”

Aria arches her eyebrow, looking at him inquisitively. "Different?"

“Yeah. You know…” He makes a vague hand gesture hoping it's enough to make her understand. “ _ Different _ .”

Shaking her head, Aria quirks her head to the side. "I mean… some people would say  _ I'm _ different, so I guess I can't say I do?" she leads Rin to continue.

“So it doesn’t bother you that she’s probably into girls?” It’s a dumb question, Rin  _ knows  _ Aria is an ally. She’s expressed it countless times before, prompted and unprompted. He’s  _ trans  _ for goodness sakes, he  _ knows  _ where her feelings lie. Yet, still, Louis’ sister makes something anxious bubble in the pit of his stomach.

“Should it? It’s not a huge deal.” She shrugs.

Her honesty is touching, and he wishes he could feel the same way she does. He’s not…  _ bothered _ by people like Louis’ sister. Honestly, he’s envious of them, sometimes. The ones who are open, that is. The ones who are brave enough to live their life the way they want to… like Louis’ sister. To love who they love, be who they want to be. He’s  _ almost  _ there, he thinks. Sometimes. His transitioning process is only just starting—two years on testosterone and he can finally look into the mirror and see the man he always knew was inside him—but… 

It’s still only just a lie, isn’t it?

He can never  _ truly  _ be  _ whole _ , can he?

“He said it so casually. It caught me off guard,” Rin confesses, voice low, like this conversation was some sort of taboo. “I nearly cracked my knee on the table and I’m pretty sure he thinks it's his fault.”

That’s the truth of it, he’s sure. Louis thinks he’s at fault. He’s a smart boy, any person would look at Rin’s reaction and think “damn, he’s a homophobe, isn’t he?” The expression on Louis’ face then… it replays like an unwanted film reel in Rin’s mind.

“He asked me about my art and I just… couldn’t say a word. It was like my brain just… fried itself internally.” The urge to smack his head on his desk is almost overwhelming, but he resists. “God, what a disaster I am.” He chuckles humorlessly.

Aria’s expression is her usual when Rin gets like this: warm and loving, but with no shortage of poorly-hidden concern.

“You may be a disaster, but you’re my favorite disaster.” She reaches across the gap between them and caresses the mound of Rin’s cheek lovingly. He leans into the touch. “Okay, so. You flubbed a bit about his sister. I doubt he holds it against you. And also, it's not a big deal if his sister's gay.” 

He nods in affirmation. “It just caught me off guard.”

“Exactly. So, not a big deal. I really don't think he'll be mad about it.” She peers into his eyes for a moment before staring down at her hands. “What's the big deal with him asking about your art? Your art is good.”

“I just… freaked out, I guess.” He sighs then glances at his forgotten art tablet and the blank canvas still displayed on his laptop screen. “I told you, my brain just… stopped working when he asked.”

“Why do you think that happened?” She presses gently, her tone hopeful.

Rin thinks back to the dinner and grimaces. He hopes it doesn’t show on his face, but knows it probably does. “I don’t know,” He shrugs instead. The lie tastes awful on his tongue. “I know he was trying to make conversation but...I-I don’t know.”

At first, Aria doesn't answer right away. She goes quiet, her eyes turning down and her lips curling into a trained smile. The smile isn't honest, Rin can tell. It's the same one he recognizes from every other time she's concealed her own feelings to protect him. She shakes it off just as quickly as it appears, and then turns to look at him again before she continues.

“Well, what did he say when you 'shut down,' so to speak?”

Guilt wells up inside him. He doesn’t know why he bothers lying, she can always see through them. “He asked if he was making me uncomfortable and apologized. And then he left. I’m… pretty sure  _ I  _ made him uncomfortable by being stupid.”

“Well,  _ was _ he making you uncomfortable?”

A wave of discomfort passes through him.  _ Yes  _ is what his mind wants him to say, but instead, he shakes his head. “No, I was just being stupid.”

“So, if you weren't uncomfortable, and he wasn't uncomfortable, then it sounds like maybe you really don't have anything to worry about. You guys weren't expecting to be alone. You were expecting me to be there. Under the circumstances, I'm pretty sure you both did amazingly, and if you should blame anyone, it should be me. Nothing's been done that can't be undone, you know? I'm sure he still wants to be your friend, and I can tell by the way you're agonizing that you still want to be his, too. So… maybe I can smooth it over, somehow. It's the least I can do for both of you.”

“It’s not your fault either, Ari. It’s not like you knew you were going to get scouted for your dream job today. I was just… scared that I might’ve cost you a friend. But I don’t think he’ll hold it against you. Or… me… I guess… but, whatever, it doesn’t matter anymore. What’s done is done!”

“And it can be undone.” She smiles pointedly. “I'll at least apologize for peacing out since I didn't get a chance to do that yesterday. Seems to  _ me _ like you did a lot better than you think you did, though. Especially given the circumstances.”

Rin blinks in surprise. A soft smile worms its way onto his lips, though he doesn’t seem to notice. “You were right, by the way. He’s… he’s nice. His smile is nice.” He snaps back to reality as horror dawns on him. “O-oh b-but um! I’m sure he gets that all the time since he’s the tour guide! It’s gotta be nice! Nice and friendly!”

Rin catches the way Aria’s smile falters. She tries to hide it by turning her attention toward her hands, but it's too late. “Well, that settles it, then. I'll  _ definitely _ smooth it over, because I still think we can both be friends with him." She nods once, resolute.

“Yeah, okay. Sorry.”

Aria shakes her head quickly. “You've got nothing to be sorry for. Like I said, nothing's happened that won't turn out to be okay in the end.” She pats the space beside her on the bed, and when Rin sits to join her, she rests her head on his shoulder. “And whatever happens, you're always gonna be stuck with  _ me _ , so at least there's that.”

Rin drapes an arm around her, holding her close. “Yeah… It’s us against the world.” He muses fondly. A wave of warmth spreads through his body, though it's accompanied with a sense of sadness and guilt.

“Y’know what?” Aria mutters sleepily. “You should come with me to the bar tomorrow. Since you didn't get to tonight.”

“I’d really enjoy that, but you have to wake up and get your hair cleaned or it’ll be a bird’s nest by tomorrow.” He chuckles fondly.

“It’s always a bird's nest in the morning, even if I do wash it, but you're right.” She laughs. He’s reluctant to let go, but he does and watches as she stretches the kinks out of her body. “Tomorrow morning, you gotta show me what you were drawing, okay? I was gonna ask but we got sidetracked with the Frey Crisis Of The Day.” 

Rin chuckles. “Yeah, okay. Goodnight Ari.”

“Night Sunshine. Promise me you'll get some sleep?” She asks on her way out, glancing at him over her shoulder.

“Only if you promise the same.” He shoots back with a smile.

“I’ll do my best,” She chuckles and departs, closing his door behind her.

The void between them feels like a chasm.

* * *

When Saturday night finally rolls around, and Rin has finished Aria’s hairstyle for tonight’s performance, he finds himself pacing energetically in the living room, waiting for Aria.

He releases a shaky breath, wringing his hands as he paces. “Wow, I’m so nervous and I’m not the one performing.” He shakes the jitters from his fingers and turns to the stairwell. “Ari, are you ready yet?” He yells up the stairs.

“Okay that's like… the  _ third _ time you've asked me in the past fifteen minutes, Rin. I still can't decide between the chucks or the boots and I'm really desperate. Help.” Aria bounds down the stairs with a pair of shoes in each hand then drops them both on the floor in front of Rin. “HELP. Which?”

“Boots. Always the boots. They’re classics.”

“Okay. Okay… now I'm gonna need an extra like… five minutes to put these on.” She jumps up on the kitchen table and pulls her boots on. “I hope we secured my hair enough. I wasn't exaggerating when I said I made myself dizzy once headbanging.”

“With this style, it won’t matter if it comes loose. That’s what makes it fun.” He watches as Aria struggles with her boots. “I can help you with your boots if you need me to.”

“Please! We're already running late. I'm probably gonna have to run and drag you down the street behind me.” They are, in fact, not running late. If anything, they’re thirty minutes ahead of schedule, but Rin understands Aria’s sense of urgency when it comes to situations like this. She wants to make sure they make it  _ on time _ . 

Rin kneels in front of Aria and starts tying the straps on her boots as quickly and securely as his bumbling fingers can let him. “Okay!” He announces the moment the last strap has been tied. “Can we go now?”

He watches as Aria goes through a mental checklist of things that could go wrong while they’re away. “Oven’s off, windows are all locked,” She mutters on her breath. Once she’s reached the bottom of the list, she smiles. “Yup, we’re good. You have nothing to be nervous about, Sunshine. You'll have fun.”

“I’m not nervous,” He corrects and for once, it’s the truth. “I’m just excited to see you sing and get free drinks. Or discounted drinks, whichever is most accurate. I think I’m going to pee on myself.” He laughs.

“Don't do that until  _ after _ you have a couple of drinks. Then the embarrassment won't be as bad.” She chuckles as they head out of the apartment. She locks the door behind them, wobbling the knob to make sure it’s absolutely locked. “You're gonna like Jack and Eva. They're really nice. Well… Eva is. I talked to Jack for like… .02 seconds when Eva introduced us but he always looks grumpy. I  _ assume _ he's nice, because I don't know why Eva would put up with him otherwise.”

“Probably because she loves him,” He grins, following along beside Aria excitedly. He’s practically bouncing. “Don’t question love. It doesn’t make sense most of the time.”

Aria laughs good-naturedly. “What would  _ either one of us _ know about that, though?” She nudges Rin with her shoulder as they walk down the street.

“Good point,” He grins.

“You gotta promise me one thing, though,” Aria says, her expression sobering slightly. “Don't have too much to drink, because if you overdo it and pass out there's like…  _ zero chance _ I can physically carry you home.”

“ _ Relax _ , Ari. I’ll be fine!” His grin widens, his excitement mounting. “I can  _ totally  _ handle my alcohol.”

She smirks wryly as she nudges him with her shoulder. “ _ Oh _ , you mean like that time I was studying for my history exam in eleventh grade and I had to intercept a phone call to come pick you up from Jennifer Harris' party because you drank all the booze and barfed your way down the basement stairs?” She sticks her tongue out playfully. “That kind of 'handle your alcohol?'”

Rin scoffs, feigning ignorance despite the embarrassment crawling up the nape of his neck. “Don’t remember. Didn’t happen. Also, I’m pretty sure  _ I  _ was the life of the party.” He laughs. 

Memories of Junior year creep into his mind, but before they can properly cement, he shoves them away. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about things that didn’t matter anymore. The memory of Aria getting into trouble because of it sneaks peskily into the forefront of his mind, but it's her amused tone that grounds him again.

“Totally. You're the life of every party to me, Sunshine.” She chuckles. “I'm gonna make sure the drinks you get tonight are comped one way or another. Just don't overdo it. Promise?”

He takes her hand and presses a kiss against her knuckles, flashing an easy smile. “Promise, Sugar Queen!” He winks.

When they finally reach Ichor, Rin’s anxiety is at its peak. The place is both exactly how Rin imagined it to be and also completely  _ not _ . It’s smaller than what he pictured, though the amount of people and the stench of alcohol and food in the air is startlingly accurate to his daydreams. The lights are dim, but not so dim that he can’t see where he’s going. Still, the new environment makes Rin feel uncomfortable, and if he cowers behind Aria, he hopes it isn’t too obvious.

Aria immediately sets out on the introductions. He’s quickly overwhelmed. Most of the band members seem like nice people, and the manager of the bar gives him a friendly, but polite smile and a quick nod before heading out into a room that says EMPLOYEE’S ONLY. Aria leads Rin back to the bar where a red-headed bartender awaits them.

Rin lets a coy smile spread across his lips as he takes in the bartender’s— _ Yakumo’s _ —appearance.

_ Not her type, she says.  _ He thinks in amusement.  _ Totally her type, he is.  _

“And this is the bar… as you can see.” She laughs awkwardly, gesturing to the bar where several patrons give them a quick glance before returning to their conversation. “That's, uh… that's Yakumo. And down there are Jack and Eva. Let's go talk to them. Instead. I mean, not instead, just… Yakumo looks busy.” 

“Ah, yes. Yakumo. I see, I see. Intriguing. Very intriguing.” He hums and rubs his chin. There’s a mischievous glint in his eyes that he knows Aria can see. 

“Nothing to be intrigued about.” She huffs.

Yakumo, from further down the bar, waves at them the moment Rin makes eye contact. Aria returns the wave, though she awkwardly ducks her head and turns her attention back toward a couple who are sitting closer to the stage. “Uh, anyway. Jack and Eva. This way.” She grabs onto Rin’s wrist and practically drags him away. 

They approach the couple, who relax comfortably in their own corner of the bar. Eva is a beautiful woman, from what Rin can see. She’s tall and slender, with a tender smile on her face as Aria approaches. Jack, on the other hand, looks like someone straight out of the mafia. He’s handsome, in a scary sort of way, with the lightest shade of blonde hair Rin has ever seen. It’s practically white within the dim lighting.

Aria clears her throat and says, “So. This is, uh… Eva. And that's Jack. And this is my brother Rin.”

“Oh, so this is the infamous brother I've heard so much about! It's a pleasure to meet you!” Eva smiles kindly.

Rin gulps. Her beauty is radiant and her smile only makes it more apparent. However, it’s not her face that Rin desperately wants to focus on, but her impressive chest size. He rubs the back of his neck, tearing his eyes away from the couple entirely. “Y-yeah. P-pleasure is mine.” He mumbles.

Jack grunts noncommittally from the table, though he gives Aria and Rin an acknowledging nod. He takes a sip of his brandy. He doesn’t dignify the twins with any more attention. Rin definitely understands what Aria means now.

“I’m uh…” She glances at Jack for a few more seconds, before turning her full attention toward Eva. “I think I told you that my brother is pretty much 90% of my singing practice before I got here.” She chuckles. “So, you owe him a debt of gratitude for getting you your weekends off.”

Jack’s attention is back on the twins. Rin tries not to shirk away from those watchful, beady eyes. He nudges Aria carefully and leans into her ear. 

“Wow, Ari, you didn’t have to actually say it like that.” He whispers. “This guy looks like he could kill everyone in this bar in two seconds flat and not even break a sweat.”

“Maybe. But if he kills me, Eva's weekends are gone again so there's that.” She shrugs. To Rin’s horror, Aria doesn’t even hide the fact that she said it loud enough for the couple to hear.

To his surprise, though, Eva barks out a laugh. “She’s got you there, Jack.”

Jack turns his attention back to his brandy, swishing the amber liquid around in its glass. “So she does,” He mutters, the corners of his lips twitching into a smirk. He knocks back the drink with one graceful gulp.

_ Holy shit, this guy is so cool.  _

“I’m just gonna, uh… g-go back to the bar.” He gestures vaguely toward the bar, though his eyes are still glued to Jack. “Y-yeah. Gonna just… sip a drink.” He quietly slinks away from the couple, silently marveling at the aura of coolness they both seem to exude.

He hears Aria rush up behind him, a hint of worry in her eyes. “Rin, wait! Why are you leaving? Eva’s really nice! Jack’s… well he's gotta have  _ some _ redeeming qualities because Eva apparently appreciates his company, so… yeah. Why are we going this way?”

Rin has a whole spiel on the tip of his tongue about that couple. They’re both insanely gorgeous in a dangerous, mafia sort of way, and yet they’re so unbelievably  _ cool  _ that Rin feels astonishingly inadequate in their presence. A part of him feels like crawling toward them on his hands and knees, begging them for their time and attention, while another part of him wants to cower and beg for his life. Naturally, he doesn’t share any of this and instead gives Aria a startled, wide-eyed stare.

“Aria, do you  _ see  _ the guy? He looks like he can murder me with his eyes alone!”

“He probably could, but he didn't. So… nothing to be scared of.” She says it so bluntly that it  _ almost  _ makes Rin laugh.

“I don’t want to be  _ murdered _ , Aria!” He squeaks. “I’m too young and pretty to die!” He turns back to the bar and picks a stool that's furthest away from the other patrons. “And I’m too sober for this. Can I order a drink now?”

“Rin,” Aria says flatly. “I was kidding. Jack isn’t going to murder you.” She glances down the bar and turns back to Rin, her tone suddenly desperate. “Why don’t we uh… just go back over there, instead. And you can order a drink when I’m on stage.”

“Or,  _ or _ —and stay with me here, sis—what if I go ahead and order us some drinks while you claim a table for me to watch you during your song sets? That way I get my alcohol and you stay far away from the bartender you have a crush on.” He smiles sweetly.

“ _ I do not have a— _ ” Aria freezes as if she’s only just realized what she’s saying. She glances around the room for a moment, then ducks her head and whispers, “I do not have a crush on him. I don't even  _ know _ him very well. I can't drink before I get on stage but I guess we should… go over there so I can introduce you and get you your free drinks. I swear if you even make an  _ implication _ of this fictional  _ crush _ you think I have, I'll be mad at you  _ forever _ .”

Rin suddenly beams. “I won’t, I promise! Now drinks?”

Aria sighs in resignation and turns her full attention to Yakumo. Yakumo takes notice of them immediately and heads their way with a bright smile.

“I was wondering when you guys would get to me.” He chuckles good-naturedly. 

Rin can sense Aria’s nervousness. It only makes him smirk more. 

“Uh… yeah. Yakumo, this is my brother Rin. Rin, this is Yakumo. He's the bartender I told you about. The one who helped me out last night. Uh…” She looks at Yakumo and smiles sheepishly. “I don't know if we have a tab system or something here, but anything Rin wants, you can put on mine, okay?”

“No tabs, just free drinks for employees and family. Nice to meet you, Rin.” He offers his hand for Rin to shake.

Rin takes it and is surprised with how sturdy, yet warm, Yakumo’s hand feels. His hand is also much larger than Rin’s, and a part of him tries not to feel jealous about it. Two years on T has done wonders for his body, but it still couldn’t  _ quite  _ fix everything, of course.

“Thanks for looking out for my sister,” Rin says, feeling grateful. “If I was able to, I would’ve been here yesterday with her. She likes to get herself into trouble.”

“I do not!” Aria scoffs.

“Do too.”

“Oh my god,” She mutters and buries her face with her hands.

Yakumo laughs. Its deep and hardy, a  _ true  _ joyous sound. Rin smirks, he quite likes the guy. “Hey, it’s alright. The guy completely deserved it. She didn’t do anything other than sit at the bar and try to enjoy her drink.”

“Still though, thank you.” He smiles in appreciation. “So, those drinks?”

“Right! What do you want?”

“A Zombie would be  _ great  _ right now.”

“On it! Be right back!” And with that, Yakumo leaves them alone, gathering his ingredients.

Aria turns to Rin, her embarrassment prominent despite her annoyance. “ _ I swear to god, Rin. _ ” She murmurs.

Rin can’t help the shit-eating grin that spreads across his face. “What? I didn’t say anything.”

“She likes to get herself in trouble. Bler de blee de bloo,” She mocks, using her hand like a puppet. Rin assumes its meant to be him. “I do not!”

“Okay, first of all, I don’t sound like that. I have more manliness to my voice, thank you very much. Secondly, you do. The fact that you got in trouble on your first day on the job proves it. Thirdly—” He gives her a look that screams 'you totally have a crush on this guy and I can’t  _ wait  _ to make fun of you for it later.'

“No, but you totally say 'bler de blee de bloo,' so I'm 50% right. I didn't  _ get in trouble _ . The guy deserved it! And I don't—” She stops short, and glances at Yakumo, who's about to make his way back with the finished drink. “You can't make fun of me for something that doesn't exist. So shut up.”

Rin wiggles his eyebrows playfully, not at all convinced. 

Before Aria can get another word in, Yakumo is back in front of them with Rin’s drink at hand. “Wow, I get the feeling I interrupted a pretty heated discussion if the way Aria's face is all pouted and annoyed is any indication.” He offers Rin his drink with a grin. Rin thanks him quickly and dives into it, relishing the fruity taste and the bite of alcohol that stays on his tongue. 

“Oh my god, I need to go get ready.” She decides, turning on her heel. She stops suddenly, turning back to Rin because as annoyed as she is, he knows she won’t leave him until she knows he’s okay. “You good, Rin?”

He smiles at her warmly. “Yeah, I’m good.” As if to prove his point, he raises his drink at her. “Break a leg, sis!”   
  
As Aria walks away, she gives Rin a pleading look, silently begging him not to say anything to Yakumo about her non-existent, but totally existent “crush”. Rin gives her a thumbs up and watches as she disappears backstage. 

“I've heard it's a brother's job to get their sister all worked up, and it looks like you've got it down to a science.” He gives Rin a friendly smile. “Good going.”

“Thanks. I’ve spent my whole life perfecting the art of annoying Aria.” He laughs impishly then takes a sip of his drink.

“So, does she really have a habit of getting herself into trouble?” Rin can hear the genuine concern in his voice. It only makes him like the guy even more.

“Yeah, kind of. It’s not that she looks for it, just that it tends to come to her. I know she can handle it herself, but sometimes there are some things you really can’t handle on your own.” He shrugs. He uses a straw to twirl the ice in his drink around in circles, mixing the contents even more. He tries not to think about high school or of the last guy Aria found herself involved in. Or of—

He takes a big gulp and coughs at the burn.

Yakumo doesn’t appear to notice as he laughs halfheartedly at Rin’s words. “Yeah, like some drunk bro twice your size getting ready to punch you for slapping him. I didn't want to say anything to her, because I didn't think she'd appreciate the suggestion that she  _ needed _ my help. I'll look out for her while she's here, though. If you can't be here, I mean.”

Rin pauses, surprised. He nods slowly, mulling over what Yakumo’s suggestion really means to him. For him. And for Aria.

“Thanks, I really… I really appreciate that.” It surprises him how much he actually means it. He lifts his glass toward Yakumo as if to toast to him and takes another drink.

“Rin?” A familiar voice asks and suddenly, Rin is choking on his alcohol. 

“Holy— _ fuck _ —” Rin rasps between breaths, smacking his chest despite knowing it won’t save him from the alcohol burning his trachea. He takes a deep breath the moment he’s able to and whirls around, coming face to face with Louis. “It’s  _ you _ !” 

Louis frowns in confusion, but it's Yakumo who cuts into the conversation: “Whoa. You alright there?” He asks, sounding genuinely concerned.

Rin hastily spins back around toward his drink, avoiding both Yakumo’s eyes and Louis’. “Yep! Yup! Yeah, fine!  _ Fine _ !” He panics, sounding hysterical. “I’m totally fine!” He takes another large gulp of his drink and thanks his luck when he doesn’t choke again.

To his chagrin, Louis takes the empty stool beside Rin and watches him with a cautious eye.

“Hey man. The usual?”

“Yeah, the usual would be great,” Louis mutters, still watching Rin. “Are you  _ sure  _ you’re okay?”

“Oh yeah, man, I’m peachy keen!” He giggles. He downs the remainder of his Zombie and slams the empty hurricane glass on the counter. “Yakumo! Another, please!” He hopes he doesn’t sound as desperate as he feels, but at this point, he’s pretty sure he’s slowly becoming a disaster.

Rin watches as a mixture of emotions plays across Yakumo’s face. He glances from Rin to Louis, then back to Rin again. “Yeah, okay. Maybe take this one a little slower, though.” He suggests with a chuckle then goes to mix the two drinks. 

Once he’s left alone with Louis, Rin turns to him with wide eyes. “Hi!” 

“Hey.”

“S-sorry about last night. That was—uh—I mean—”

“It’s okay—” Louis tries to interject, but Rin cuts him off.

“No, it’s not okay. I made you feel uncomfortable and for that I’m sorry. Especially that whole thing with your sister, and, uh, the art thing. I’m just… really awkward. Sorry.” With his piece said, Rin turns back to the bar, drumming his fingers nervously against the dark wooden counter. “Wow, Yakumo is taking a  _ long  _ time for those drinks, huh?”

“It’s been less than thirty seconds.” Louis deadpans.

Rin laughs a little too shrilly. “Oh, right, sorry. I lose my sense of time when I’m drinking.”

Louis eyes Rin’s first cup worriedly. “Have you… drank a lot?” 

_ Oh god, now he thinks I’m an alcoholic. _

“Not yet!” Rin giggles. “But don’t worry, I can handle my alcohol.” As if to prove his point, his body sways dangerously into Louis’ direction. Rin hangs onto the counter in a fit of panic, feeling his blood grow warm.

Louis cocks an eyebrow. “You sure about that?”

“Positively!” Rin beams!

Yakumo, Rin’s savior of awkward conversations, finally returns with their drinks. “Alright, here you guys go,” He announces sliding each of them their respective drinks then leans against the back counter, eyeing them both curiously. “So, you two know each other, too?”

“T-too?” Rin parrots.

“We… had dinner last night,” Louis says distractedly, his eyes seem to be glued onto Rin. Rin doesn’t think Louis has looked away from him since he arrived.

“Ah, gotcha. Yeah, too. Louis and I have been friends since… what, junior year of high school?” Rin can see the concern in Yakumo’s expression and wonders if he’s  _ that  _ much of a hot mess for them both to notice. Maybe he really should slow it down with the Zombie?

“Just about,” Louis nods. “Maybe you should slow down on the drinking, Rin? That kind of drink is highly potent. Don’t want you to… go too hard.”

A childish part of Rin, the part that often rebelled when he was told he couldn’t do something, rears its ugly head. Rin barks out a laugh and lifts his drink. “Don’t you worry about me,  _ Lulu _ . I’m  _ totally  _ fine!” He gulps his Zombie down with impressive speed.

“Whoa, hey! I thought we talked about going  _ slower _ this time.” Yakumo reaches for the empty glass just as Rin finishes. He tries to wave it around, asking for another drink to top off his night.

Confliction passes through Yakumo then, and he glances toward Louis for guidance. “Maybe I should ask Aria what she thinks?” 

The second the words escape, the stage lights go on, and Aria and the band all file onstage together. Aria's stage patter is less awkward than she described but still awkward, and she fumbles over her words as she catches sight of Rin at the bar with two empty glasses in front of him. He cheers for her loudly, suddenly excited to see her on stage. The cheer echoes in the mostly-quiet bar.

“That’s my sister!” He screams, proudly. He raises his hands above his head and starts clapping loudly. “WOOOOOOOOOOO!! GO ARI!”

Aria laughs nervously at him and gives him a feeble little wave. “Hi, Rin. U-um… so… this first song is actually a  _ dedication _ to my brother. Best Friend, by Queen. H-here we go! Five, six, seven, and—!”

The music starts on cue and Rin’s thunderous claps are drowned by the sounds of the band. 

Yakumo sighs and mutters, “Guess I'm not asking Aria what she thinks…” He turns to Louis for help.

Louis reaches across the space and lays a gentle hand on Rin’s shoulder. “Maybe a drink of water would be best right now.” He suggests, giving Yakumo a pleading look. “Something to help wash the alcohol from your blood a little.”

Rin’s face heats up from more than just the alcohol. He’s hyper-aware of Louis’ hand touching his shoulder and tries not to zero in on the fact that he’s thirty seconds away from falling into this boy’s lap and kissing him to pieces. 

“No, no,  _ nononono _ , that’s not fun at all.” He slurs, shrugging away Louis’ hand. The action makes him sway dangerously on his stool. He swings around to fully face Louis. Louis blinks back at him, surprised by the sudden seriousness in Rin’s eyes. Rin draws closer to him, violet eyes narrow as he searches for something in Louis’ eyes. He doesn’t find what he’s looking for and instead settles on a fact that he already knows.

With a dopey smile, he leans into Louis’ personal space and murmurs, “You’re really hot, you know that?”

It's almost impressive, how deep a red Louis flushes from Rin’s compliment. “Uh, thank you.”

“I’m uh… gonna go get that water.” Yakumo coughs. He scratches the back of his neck as he hurries to the tap.

Rin is too busy focused on Louis to react to Yakumo’s disappearance, or that Yakumo hadn’t left until then. Instead, he reaches for Louis’ face, surprised when he meets no resistance from Louis, and cradles his cheeks.

“It’s like staring into the face of an angel,” He murmurs. “Did you fall from heaven, Lulu? Your cheeks are sho shoft.” Rin watches as Louis’ visible eye widens in a mixture of shock and embarrassment. Rin continues to caress Louis’ cheeks with his thumbs, truly captivated with how soft his skin feels. 

Realization crashes into him  _ hard _ . Rin jerks his hands away from Louis and jumps to his feet before he has any idea of where he wants to go. He sways violently sideways on his feet and nearly crashes into the bar, but somehow, he manages to keep his balance. Louis hands remain outstretched, ready to catch him, in case he sways again.

“I think… I’m gonna go pee outside.”

Alarm passes through Louis’ face. “No,  _ Rin _ , that’s a bad idea!”

Before Louis can stop him, Rin marches off in the direction of the exit. He stumbles along the way but manages to avoid smacking into anyone. Louis is hot on his trail and, for some reason, Rin finds that to be the most impressive thing he’s ever seen Louis do.

“Hang on, Rin!” Louis calls out, reaching for him. 

He grabs onto Rin just as the boy trips. They crash to the floor in an inelegant heap with Louis on top and Rin beneath him. Rin is too drunk to truly process what just happened, but the hiss of pain Louis makes above him lets him know that  _ something _ went wrong on their way down. Still, he stares up at Louis in a drunken daze. The ceiling above them is spinning like crazy, but focusing solely on Louis’ pained face stabilizes him just enough to realize he’s done something terrible. Again. 

Aria’s face of desperation flashes through his mind. For a split second, the bar’s dim lighting and loud music melt away. He’s back in a fluorescent-lit bathroom, water gushing from a nearby faucet. His body feels cold despite overheating from the alcohol seconds ago, and instead of peering up into the Louis’ red eye, he’s staring into the panicked, devastated gaze of Aria’s as she cradles his head on her lap.

He blinks and the world rights itself again.

“ _ Shit _ ,” He hears Louis curse. “Are you okay?”

Rin stares into Louis’ face with hazy eyes, his mouth partially opened. He has enough sense of mind to notice Louis’ arms are caged around him, and something throbs dully in the back of his head, but it’s not enough to stop the sense of euphoria flowing in his veins. He soaks in Louis’ appearance, his face flushed, his mouth curving in strain. Rin swallows, his throat dry. He’s incredibly aroused despite the sense of terror building up in his chest.

He puffs out a laugh as a tear slips down the corner of his eye. “Damn, that’s unfair. You’re really hot” He croaks. He wraps his arms around Louis’ broad shoulders and tries to pull him down. He can feel Louis’ resistance. Somehow, it makes his tears come out even faster. “I-if you want, I can suck your dick any time, lover boy.” To emphasize his point, Rin jerks his hips upwards and rubs his groin sensually, yet clumsily against Louis.

Louis’ visible eye widens. He jerks away from Rin’s touch but remains close by his side despite it. Without Louis’ face nearby as a distraction, Rin’s attention refocuses on the ceiling lights above. Voices meld together in his ears as the world around him spins and stretches. He feels like he’s falling, though he’s pretty sure he’s not moving. Water pours into his mouth, into his lungs, his veins, his body—no, that’s not right either.

His vision blurs. Whether it's from the tears or the alcohol, he isn’t sure, but when he takes a breath, he chokes on nothing. His coughs wrack his body, jostling him uncomfortably until hands are on his arms and he’s being pulled to his feet. He can’t regain his footing no matter how hard he tries. His face feels numb and as Aria wipes his cheeks, he realizes he’s been crying. Multiple people are speaking to him, but their words don’t make sense. His focus is on one thing and one thing only:

“...ppened? Rin, Sunshine, are you okay?” Her voice filters into his mind clear as day.

It makes him want to cry more. “Ari,” He murmurs, his voice sounds so distant even to his own ears. “I love you so much, Ari. You’re the best shister ever.”

Aria cradles his face, blocking out the rest of the world so that his eyes only focuses on hers. Time seems to stop around them. He’s captivated by her presence; by the warmth of her hands and her gentle touch. His face is numb, he  _ knows  _ it is, and yet, somehow, he can  _ still  _ feel her hands on his cheeks. She peers straight into his eyes. Rin feels like he’s staring straight into Aria’s soul. 

“Hey, I love you too, you know that.” Her voice is soft, but panicked, just like it was that day.

She’s told him this a countless number of times, but for some reason, at  _ this  _ moment, her words reach deep into his very being. And just when Rin thinks it’s  _ okay _ , just when he feels the guilt and regret well up inside him—the hope that she’s instilled upon him—she looks away. 

Reality slams into him like a freight train.

He’s left feeling numb all over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is so big, omg. I generally don't write such lengthy chapters but this one got away from me T-T
> 
> Rin made a bigger fool of himself in this chapter than previously! I wonder if he can recover?


	6. Aria (III)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Concern continues to spread across Louis' face as he regards Aria. "Still, you should take it easy on yourself, too. I know we haven't known each other for long, but… if you find you need help with anything, don't hesitate to ask us."
> 
> Yakumo nods his agreement. "Yeah, you don't have to shoulder it yourself. Neither does he." His eyes flick up to the ceiling.
> 
> The offer is kind. Aria appreciates it. She does. The mere thought of their kindness brings a swell of emotion up from her chest. She blinks it away quickly and smiles sadly as she meets their gazes again.
> 
> "Thanks. I think we're okay, though. I've taken care of him most of my life, and... it's my responsibility. My fault. I forgot to tell Yakumo that he doesn't have any regard for—" She cuts herself off quickly, then blinks, shaking off the nagging thoughts and clearing her throat to buy herself time to think of something else to say. "He tends to overestimate his tolerance."

Aria barely remembers how they got home, but she knows it's about five hours too early and that it was only possible through no shortage of help from Yakumo and Louis. After Rin passed out, Yakumo carried him home, which Aria remembers garnered them no shortage of stares from people as they passed. The stares don't register on Aria's radar. They don't matter.

All that matters is Rin, who's currently unconscious in Yakumo's arms.

The whole situation shakes loose dozens of old memories. Things she can't forget, no matter how hard she tries. Things that keep her awake at night. Things she keeps to herself, which is why she physically shakes them out of her mind right now. Standing in the company of two relative strangers is the worst possible time and place to _think_ of those old memories, so Aria forces her mind to shift into the mode she's used to: taking care of Rin.

While Aria guides Yakumo to Rin's bedroom to put him in bed safely, she asks Louis to gather a bottle of water from the kitchen, a bottle of pain medication from the cupboard and a small resealable bag from one of the kitchen drawers. He meets her at the top of the stairs, and then he and Yakumo go downstairs to wait for her.

She doesn't know why they're waiting. They've gone above and beyond the call of new friendship. She doesn't have the energy to question it. Instead, she turns back toward Rin's room and places two of the pain pills in the resealable bag.

Maybe it's paranoid of her to ration the pills for him, but after everything he's been through… 

Aria shakes her head and sets the rest of the pain pills on Rin's dresser to gather when she leaves the room. With the pills and the water in place, Aria gathers a piece of lined notebook paper from Rin's desk and scribbles a quick note, telling him to wake her up as soon as he wakes up.

Then, she realizes… she has to face the music. Yakumo and Louis are still waiting downstairs for her, which means she can't cross the hall and flop into bed like she so desperately wants to. She can't try to sleep, and wait for things to (hopefully) be better tomorrow. She breathes in deeply, presses a tender kiss to her brother's forehead as he sleeps, then gathers the pill bottle and makes her way down the stairs to the first floor.

As she walks, she tries desperately to shake the worry from her expression, but she knows she falls short. The moment she passes through the door, both Louis and Yakumo look at her from the two chairs that bookend the coffee table in front of the couch.

Aria tries to smile, but it likely looks like nothing but a grimace. "You guys don't have to stay, you know…" she tells them. "I could have handled it from here."

Yakumo shakes his head and flashes her a worried smile. "Don't worry about it," he insists. "We weren't gonna just bolt as soon as we got you to the door."

"I guess," Aria answers, wanting to sound grateful but unable to conjure the emotion. "Thanks. For helping us out."

Louis meets her gaze, his expression warm but also searching. "I probably sound like a broken record by now, but… is he going to be okay?" He pauses. "Are you? You seem rattled. Does this happen often?"

"I'm fine."

The answer comes quickly. Too quickly. She winces at how quickly it comes out, because if anything, a quick answer like that tells them that she's not fine. It's just… what Aria's used to saying whenever someone asks her if she's okay. Before they have any chance to extrapolate or worry about her, she continues talking.

"I'm always fine," she insists, trying to laugh. The laugh doesn't sound like a laugh at all. It sounds like a puffed exhale. "Rin's… he's going to be okay." She hopes the lie isn't as obvious as she thinks it is. "It doesn't happen _often_, but this isn't… it's not the first time."

There's more she wants to say. Sometimes, she feels like there's _always_ more she wants to say, but she pushes it down, stores it away in a lockbox in the center of her heart. Going into too much detail with Rin would upset him. Going into too much detail with _strangers_ would betray him. It's just one of those things Aria has to deal with alone. It's her issue, not anyone else's.

Yakumo's voice snaps her out of her thoughts. "He's lucky to have a sister who cares about him as much as you do," he says softly.

"I'm luckier," Aria answers back, her eyes falling to the carpet as she sets the pain pills on the kitchen counter. She'll put them away later. "'Cause I have him, and all."

Concern continues to spread across Louis' face as he regards Aria. "Still, you should take it easy on yourself, too. I know we haven't known each other for long, but… if you find you need help with anything, don't hesitate to ask us."

Yakumo nods his agreement. "Yeah, you don't have to shoulder it yourself. Neither does he." His eyes flick up to the ceiling.

The offer is kind. Aria appreciates it. She does. The mere thought of their kindness brings a swell of emotion up from her chest. She blinks it away quickly and smiles sadly as she meets their gazes again.

"Thanks. I think we're okay, though. I've taken care of him most of my life, and... it's my responsibility. My fault. I forgot to tell Yakumo that he doesn't have any regard for—" She cuts herself off quickly, then blinks, shaking off the nagging thoughts and clearing her throat to buy herself time to think of something else to say. "He tends to overestimate his tolerance."

The expression on Yakumo's face tells her that her attempts to cover her mistake don't work as well as she hopes. "I wouldn't say that's your fault, though."

Aria shakes her head. "No, it is. It's… it's okay. I'll make it up to him. And now you know about it. What a way to learn, though." Her feeble attempt at a smile is a dead giveaway to how she's really feeling.

So, it's no surprise when Louis speaks up again. "Aria, this isn't your fault," he tells her. "If anything, it's mine. He seemed extremely anxious from the moment I showed up. I think Rin is… uncomfortable around me, and for that, I'm sorry."

Shaking her head sharply, Aria tries to smile comfortingly at Louis. "It's not that he's uncomfortable around you, Louis. It's…" She trails off and runs a hand through her hair, completely destroying the intricate style Rin had woven together for her. "It's much more complicated than that, and I can't really get into the details of it without betraying his trust."

Rin's self-loathing goes so much deeper than a simple discomfort around one person. She wishes there was some simple way to tell them that, to tell them that Rin's discomfort is more with himself than anyone else, but she knows she can't.

Worrying about him really _is_ her cross to bear. Hers and hers alone.

"I promise," she reassures Louis, "it's not that he's uncomfortable around you."

Louis nods in vague understanding. Something passes through his expression, something Aria can't quite parse, and she can't help but feel guilty. Sad. She wants to tell him. She really does. She trusts him and thinks he's in a unique position to _help_ Rin. But… she can't.

Once again, Yakumo's voice catches her attention. "Are you sure you're okay, Aria?"

The warmth in his gaze surprises her. It's similar to the expression he gave last night when he walked her home, but it's different. It's so warm that Aria feels the need to look away to evade it. Her eyes fall to the carpet again.

"Yeah," she answers, before lifting her head again. "You guys don't have to stick around if you have somewhere else you need to be. As a matter of fact, _you_ have to go back to work, don't you?" She tries to return casual friendliness to her tone as she looks at Yakumo.

Yakumo blinks. "I mean, I—"

Before he can continue, Aria cuts him off with the plastered-on smile she's used to giving. "I really appreciate your help, both with keeping Rin from falling face flat—" she looks at Louis, "and with getting him home—" she turns back to Yakumo. "I'm not used to having people help me out."

With a frown, Yakumo meets her gaze again. "Do you need anything else?"

Aria looks at the ceiling. The simple answer to that question would be 'for everything to be okay,' but she knows that's impossible. She turns back to Louis and Yakumo and shakes her head. "I think I want to just… watch a movie and veg out for the rest of the night. I really do appreciate your help, though," she insists.

Hesitation seems to keep Yakumo rooted in place. It's sweet, but unnecessary. He finally turns to Louis. "I guess we should head out, then?" he asks.

With a final glance up toward the ceiling, Louis nods. "Yeah, it's late," he answers. "Again, if you need anything, you know where to find us, Aria."

Aria nods. "I know. Thank you."

After escorting them out of the apartment, Aria leans against the door for a few seconds and sighs. Her eyes turn to the ceiling, and she swallows thickly. Most of the time, things seem somewhat normal. Rin seems to be doing better now than he was back when they were teenagers.

Then, there are times like this. Times when she looks at him and sees that same sadness, that same emptiness she knows he felt back then. When that happens, when times like this crop up and rear their ugly head, Aria finds herself afraid that she'll lose him. She feels emotion bubbling toward the surface again and swallows it down. Not now. She has no right to cry over this.

Pushing away from the door, she gathers the pain pills from the counter and puts them back in the medicine cabinet. Then, she sits on the couch with her favorite black and white paisley fleece throw, and turns the TV on to watch a movie until she falls asleep.

~

Yakumo can't help but look over his shoulder as they walk away from the twins' apartment. Something about leaving them there feels… wrong. The way Aria looked when she walked down the stairs, the sadness in her eyes when she tried to talk about the situation without giving too much detail… Yakumo doesn't like to let things like that fester, and it seems like that's all Aria has been doing.

It doesn't take a genius to notice that Aria is trying to carry too much on her own. She carries her doubts—whatever they may be—and Rin's doubts on her shoulders, and deflects whenever someone tries to help her carry it.

As much as Yakumo wants to break through that, wants to help her, he also understands. He feels the same. He sees himself as rock to the people he cares about. He tries to help them shoulder burdens, in much the same way Aria does for Rin. Some of the burdens Rin must be shouldering, though… Yakumo can tell without even asking that they aren't things easily shared.

He worries. It's strange, he thinks. It's weird to worry so much about someone he barely knows, but he can't help but want to be there for her. She needs someone in her corner. Someone other than her brother. Yakumo wants to be that someone.

"You really think they're okay?" Yakumo finally breaks the silence, his voice quiet in the cool, late summer night.

Louis startles a bit, then turns to look at him briefly. "No, not at all," he answers, then flexes his hand gingerly and winces. "But… I think they will be."

Yakumo hopes so. He looks over his shoulder again, back toward the twins' apartment, then turns back to Louis. "What about you? Are you okay?" he asks.

"Yeah, it's just sore," Louis answers.

It isn't what Yakumo meant, but he decides to let it slide for now. "Well, you should still ice it. The impact could've messed with your joints. Kinda like throwing a bad punch." As if to illustrate, he throws a bad punch into the air, twisting his hand awkwardly.

Louis nods. "I'll have Karen look at it," he answers, before looking at Yakumo, his eyes furrowed with curiosity.

"What?" Yakumo asks. "What's with the face?"

After glancing briefly over his shoulder in the direction of the twins' apartment, Louis turns to meet Yakumo's gaze. "Just… surprised."

Confusion furrows Yakumo's brows to a pinch as he regards Louis questioningly. "About what?" he asks.

"The way you were back there. It was different." Louis shrugs nonchalantly. "It was surprising."

"I was different? What do you mean?"

With a soft smile, Louis keeps his gaze trained on Yakumo. "You seemed more… relaxed around her," he explains. "Unguarded, almost."

Yakumo blinks, then puffs out a breath of laughter. "Unguarded? I didn't realize I _was_ guarded, or that I was acting any different around her." A nervous laugh escapes his lips unbidden. "Really?"

In that same nonchalant, casual tone he always has, Louis explains, "I don't think it's something you do consciously, but when you're around the rest of us, you're guarded. With her? Not so much," he tells Yakumo, settling him with a look that's hard to describe. "Like I said, it was surprising."

Yakumo is fully aware that he lives his life on guard. He always looks for the easiest way to protect those closest to him. His friends. The patrons and staff at the bar. Himself, to a lesser degree. Until now, he was unaware that it passed over into 'guarded' territory. His past has given him reason to be suspicious of strangers, and his time at the bar—with drunken patrons like the asshole who tried to punch Aria—hasn't exactly _helped_ that much, so he supposes it makes sense.

"I dunno," Yakumo admits with a laugh. "I guess it's… _she_ seems guarded. Like she's got a lot on her shoulders. I guess I kind of wanted to…" He pauses, laughing awkwardly again and rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't want her to feel like she _has_ to be on guard with me. One less person she has to worry about."

The tone in Louis' voice when he responds is the most distant and distracted Yakumo has ever heard from him. "Yeah, I understand. She has a lot on her plate."

Yakumo settles him with a serious expression. "You mean like her brother?" he asks plainly.

Louis snaps back to reality and turns his gaze back to Yakumo. His expression is difficult to read, but he answers in a level tone. "He's got a whole different meal on his plate, Yakumo. It's… understandable, why she worries."

Furrowing his eyebrows, Yakumo tries to consider what that means. "A whole different meal?"

With a grim voice to match his expression, Louis says, "It's… not my place to say, but when we were on that floor…" He shakes his head and sighs. "Yeah. He's got a lot on his plate."

Oh. Right. Yakumo saw that whole thing take place. He saw the way Rin had… pretty much dry humped Louis on the floor of the bar. With that in mind, Louis likely would have figured out what Yakumo has reasoned out. He keeps his voice low, his eyes gentle and calm, when he replies.

"If it's that he's transitioning, I already figured it out."

Louis stops sharply, and when Yakumo turns, he sees the shock on his friend's face. "You did?" he asks.

Yakumo nods. "Yeah. A couple things tipped me off right off the bat. The shape of his body, for one. There are some things testosterone can't change, so some of his features are still…" He stops short of finishing the sentence because he doesn't want to sound insensitive. "I didn't say anything, because it's not really… something that needs noticing, I guess? But I could tell. Even you and your skinny ass. You still have the Adam's apple, and you're built a lot broader than he is."

With a playful elbow to Yakumo's ribs, Louis settles him with a gentle glare. "Don't think I didn't hear your snark," he muses, his smirk vanishing as they continue forward. "You're right, though. It must be incredibly difficult, not only for him, but for Aria as well."

"Probably," Yakumo agrees. "Aria seems like she'd walk through fire for him, though, so it seems like she'd take the good with the bad pretty easily."

Louis nods. "Yeah, I suppose she would." His face morphs into a frown. "That may not be his only concern. I told him about Karen and Aurora. He… did not react favorably."

Surprise roots Yakumo into place this time. "Not favorably how?" he asks as they continue to Louis' apartment. "I didn't take him for that type."

"No, it… it wasn't like _that_," Louis insists. "It was more like… it shocked him. Terrified him, maybe. Like, perhaps, by pointing out my sister's sexuality, I was accusing _him_."

"Oh." Yakumo pauses as realization dawns on him. "Oh. You think… you think he's repressed? That he's into guys?"

Louis simply nods.

Yakumo nods in understanding. Everything makes much more sense now. "That explains a lot. Like why he went from zero to ten thousand as soon as he got a drink into his system, and as soon as you showed up."

The red dusting Louis' cheeks is almost impressive. "Ye-yeah, drinking is… a common way to chase one's less desirable thoughts away," he reasons, before coughing into his fist and trying to hide the red in his cheeks.

"I know that look," Yakumo says with a smirk.

Louis startles. "Hm? What look?" he asks, a little too nonchalantly.

All Yakumo can do at first is chuckle. "That's the 'Louis is shy about something' look, which probably means you're into him. Am I wrong?" He finishes with a smirk, one which likely tells Louis that even if he tries to deny it, Yakumo will know.

If the way Louis tries pointedly to avoid Yakumo's gaze, to hide the red in his cheeks, is any indication, Louis knows he can't hide it, too. "Yeah, you could say that," he inevitably answers.

"Yet, you don't seem pleased."

Louis' expression goes somber, as he looks down at the pavement ahead of them. "Considering what he's dealing with, it just… won't be simple," he admits.

Undaunted, Yakumo shrugs. "Just means he needs patience," he points out, leaning against the wall outside of Louis' apartment. "Don't know anyone who's got more of that than you. You wouldn't be very 'you' if you gave up just 'cause it's not easy, dude."

As Louis fiddles with his apartment keys, he sighs. "He's terrified. I know what it's like, but I was one of the lucky ones. I had a great support system." He turns to Yakumo. "Rin? Them? I think his fear stems a lot deeper than what I went through. I'm just… worried."

"About?"

With a sad hum, he turns back to his door. "What goes on in his head."

Yakumo shrugs, his expression encouraging as he looks at the grass on Louis' front lawn. "Well, there are two things you can do, but I'm pretty sure I know which one you're going to choose. You _could_ just leave things the way they are, let it go and not pursue him just because it's complicated, or you could _become_ that support system," he points out. "His sister would walk through hell for him, and that's great, but he needs someone who knows what it's like. To show him it's not so bad."

Much to Yakumo's surprise, when he looks up at Louis, Louis is looking at him with a serious look in his eye. "And what about you?"

Furrowing his brow, Yakumo nods. "Yeah, of course he has me. I thought that went without s—"

Louis cuts him off and shakes his head "I meant what about _you_? If Aria is willing to walk through hell for him, who will walk through hell for _her_?" he asks with a knowing smirk. "They're a packaged deal."

In spite of himself, Yakumo can't help but chuckle. "Well… I'm pretty sure I don't register on her radar, but yeah, I'll definitely have her back. Hell, I already took a punch in the hand for her," he points out, raising his right hand. With a smirk, he muses, "Looks like we both got our hands busted protecting them."

With a soft laugh, Louis muses, "so we did," as he unlocks the front door to his apartment and gestures inside. "Would you care for a drink before heading back to work?"

Yakumo nods. "Yeah, sure. Can't stay for long, though. If I leave Jack tending the bar for too long, I'm pretty sure he'll kill me," he chuckles softly.

Smirking wryly, Louis shrugs. "I'm pretty sure Jack wants to kill us all at least once a day."

Laughing louder, Yakumo follows Louis into the apartment. "Yeah, exactly. I don't know what happens when it reaches twice a day, but I don't wanna find out," he muses as Louis shuts the door behind them.

~

Nightmares have been a constant companion in Aria's life. When she was young, she used to dream of present dangers. Death, illness, abandonment, loss, loneliness… all things which used to orbit her on the daily. She's familiar with nightmare-based insomnia; sleepless nights and nights where she can only manage one to two hours before nightmares rip her from her not-so-peaceful slumber.

Lately, given how drastic the changes in the twins' lives have been, Aria's nightmares have been rooted in the past. All of those old past terrors, things that she's left behind from years ago, still play on repeat like an old movie in her mind.

Last night's nightmare is Aria's least favorite one of all, but it's the one that comes back to haunt her the most. Rin was drowning, lost in a massive whirlpool in front of her. He swirled, gasping, choking, lost in the ferocious pull of the current. Aria stood on the edge of the whirlpool, desperately and feebly crying for him. She reached and reached, tried and tried, but she couldn't get to him in time.

As Rin was pulled into the apex of the whirlpool, disappearing from her sight, Aria's dream-self fell to her knees and sobbed.

There's never a happy ending to this dream. Rin never appears outside the whirlpool, never comforts her, never tells her that he's okay. He's just… gone. He's lost to her dream-self forever. She's stuck in the waking world without him, forever destined to mourn his presence and miss him.

As she stands in the kitchen, making eggs and bacon for Rin because she knows he'll be up soon, the thought of a world without him—the memory of how close it came to becoming her reality—brings a lump to her throat. She knows it's not her right to hold on to things from years ago, things that Rin has so obviously let go of, but when she thinks of what she saw the night prior at the bar, she can't help but be afraid.

If she loses him, if she has to wake up every day and he's not there to make the pain in her life less… painful? She doesn't know if she'll be able to go on.

Aria sighs, stirring the eggs around in the pan and flipping the bacon on the nearby skillet. She should be able to move on. She should be able to be strong and be the support system Rin needs. Instead, all she can be is selfish.

Before she can chastise herself any further, she hears heavy footsteps thumping their way down the stairs. She glances over her shoulder, watching as Rin grumbles incomprehensibly under his breath and runs a shaky hand through his wild, messy hair. He looks miserable, most likely feels miserable too, but he hurries to the bathroom to freshen up, leaving Aria alone with her thoughts for a few minutes longer.

And think she does. Worries spiral their way through her mind. She knows it's just the results of drinking more than he should have the night prior. Even so, she worries about what's happening in his mind. What's he thinking? How is he dealing with everything that happened?

Thankfully, he emerges from the bathroom before too long and collapses on the couch, a tired groan leaving his lips.

To anyone else, it would be a perfect chance to be self-righteous. Not for Aria, though. She loves her brother too much, worries too much about him to make him feel worse than he already does. She speaks quietly from the kitchen. "Morning, Sunshine. How are you feeling?"

Rin answers hoarsely from the couch. "Like death decided to fuck me seven ways to Sunday. Thank you for the water," he says, then pauses, his voice changing to an annoyed rumble when he adds, "and the painkillers."

Thankfully, Aria's back is turned so he can't see the little wince she gives at the annoyance in his tone. She scrapes the eggs from the pan onto his plate and sets a generous pile of bacon on there with them. "And the breakfast," she adds with a soft chuckle as she brings the plate into the living room and sets it on the coffee table. "Here. I know you don't think you want it, but it'll help."

Rin sits up slowly and takes the plate from her. "Thanks," he mumbles as he starts eating slowly.

For a few moments, Aria is quiet as she pours Rin a glass of orange juice and brings it into the living room, setting it on the coffee table. She returns to the kitchen, and peers at Rin over the half-wall. She has a million questions she wants to ask; a million things she wants to say, but she opts not to bombard him too much when he's feeling lousy.

Instead, with a teasing tone to her voice, she smiles sadly at him. "So, you definitely didn't take it easy," she points out needlessly.

"You could say that again," he murmurs around a mouthful of food. "I have many regrets, and each and every one of them involve Zombie."

Aria puffs a humorless laugh, then puts her own breakfast onto a plate, before pouring a third cup of coffee and joining him in the living room. "Do you remember much?" she asks.

Without meeting Aria's eyes, with his attention intently focused on the blank TV screen in front of him, Rin answers, "I remember the whole night."

"Oh." Aria feebly attempts to hide the worry in her voice. "Everything?"

Humming noncommittally, Rin goes quiet for a few seconds. Then, when he finally speaks up, Aria wishes he hadn't. "I embarrassed you in front of your coworkers. I'm sorry."

Aria's own reputation is the furthest thing from her mind. She shakes her head adamantly, watching him closely and trying to catch his eye. "Don't even worry about that, Sunshine. I'm not upset, and no one else is either," she tells him simply.

"Still, I shouldn't have acted like that," Rin insists. "I'm sorry. Next time I'll be less of an embarrassment, I promise."

With a thin-lipped smile, Aria pushes her worry and exhaustion back further into the corner of her mind. "You weren't an embarrassment. You made a mistake. It happens," she promises.

"Yeah."

All this time, Rin still hasn't met her eyes. He's sitting on the couch, eating his breakfast, consciously looking everywhere but at her. Aria's selfish worry climbs even higher, comes closer to crawling out of that little lockbox in her mind, but she pushes it back in for now. She can let it out when she's alone. She cranes her neck again, trying to put herself in Rin's periphery.

"Hey, Sunshine," she says calmly, quietly, "can you look at me?"

Rin still doesn't look right away. Finally, after a few seconds, he turns his head towards her, finally meeting her eyes. He doesn't speak.

It's still enough to make Aria's smile a little more genuine. "I love you," she promises him. "And you didn't embarrass me. Not even a little bit, okay?"

Rin breaks eye contact then, turning his head toward his breakfast, then at the blank TV screen again. Finally, his gaze meets Aria's again, and a small, appreciative smile creeps onto his face. "Thanks… sis. Love you, too."

Aria can tell he's beating himself up, and she wishes there was something she could do to make him stop, to make him open up and tell her what's going on in his mind; why he felt the need to drink like that. She combs her fingers through her hair and looks quietly down at her plate, momentarily considering turning the TV on, but she figures Rin appreciates the quiet.

The silence feels suffocating to Aria, and she teeters back and forth between wanting to break it and knowing that Rin is processing a lot—and doing so with a headache—so she simply stays quiet and tries to process things on her own. Just as she's about to speak up again, and suggest he head back to bed, a gentle knock echoes from the door.

"I've got it, you stay there," she tells Rin with a warm, comforting smile.

As she heads for the door, she muses to herself that he probably wouldn't have gotten up anyway. Not feeling like he does. She puts her usual public pleasant look on her face when she pulls the door open, and is surprised to see none other than Louis on the other side.

The smile becomes more genuine then. "Hey!" she greets him quietly. "Didn't expect to see you today!"

Louis' voice is just as quiet and gentle as hers when he replies. "Yeah, sorry. I hope I'm not intruding. I just thought that you both might need a little care package for today." He lifts the bag in his right hand, then extends the coffee cup in his left toward Aria. "Oh, and this is for you. It's espresso. I figured… you might need it."

Aria is stunned completely silent for a solid ten seconds. The care package for Rin is nice enough, but to buy her coffee? That's truly unexpected, and she accepts the cup with a grateful smile. "You're a godsend, thank you so much!" she tells Louis as she steps out of the way to let him in. "Come in, but talk quietly. Rin's still in, uh… ten-out-of-ten headache mode."

As Louis steps into the apartment, he nods. "Thank you."

Turning toward Rin, Aria smiles and motions for Louis to take a seat. "Rin, we've got company! Have a seat wherever, Louis. Are you hungry? There's still some breakfast left."

Louis shakes his head. "No, I'm fine, thank you. I had breakfast."

Rin, who now has his hoodie draped over his bird’s nest hair, curls up tighter on his side of the couch. His half-eaten breakfast lays forgotten on the coffee table. Louis gives him a concerned smile as he takes the seat furthest away from him.

"How are you feeling?" Louis asks.

"Peachy," Rin answers flatly.

With a chuckle to hide her worry, Aria takes another sip of the espresso Louis brought for her. She's more than relieved that Louis is here to smooth things over, so Rin doesn't have to feel embarrassed for too long. "He's totally lying. Look at him. Hoodie pulled on tight, hoarse voice… that's migraine central," she teases gently.

All Rin does in reply is grunt. Louis manages a halfhearted chuckle.

"I brought some things that may help with that," Louis offers, then reaches into the bag and pulls out a bottle of electrolyte water. A bottle of medication comes next, and he sets them both on the table. "I figured you'd be dehydrated and in need of electrolytes. When Aurora drinks too much, she usually saves herself a hangover by drinking this."

Aria's smile grows. "And maybe because it's from someone other than me, he'll drink it," she jokes.

Rin doesn’t respond. He doesn’t move or show any indication that he heard what either of them said. He simply sits on his side of the couch and stares into space.

The smile fades from Aria's face. "Thanks, Louis," she says in Rin's place. "I'm sure he'll appreciate it later."

"Yeah, no problem." Louis' reply is soft, his eyes sad.

It seems like Rin chooses this moment to come back down to earth. When Aria turns toward him, his eyes are sharp. "I don't get it."

Aria blinks. "Don't get what?" she asks.

Sharp gaze unchanging, Rin turns to look at Louis. "Why are you here?"

Louis' eyes widen slightly. "What do you mean?" he asks.

The sharpness still doesn't fade from Rin's expression. "Why are you _here_?" he asks, sounding almost angry. "After the dinner, I—" Rin stops suddenly, his face going pale all of a sudden, "—y-you… why are you _here_? If you think you can come here soliciting any favors from us, you're better off calling a prostitute!"

Aria is stunned completely silent at first. The whole room is quiet enough to hear a pin drop, and she looks desperately from Rin to Louis, a look of frantic apology crossing her face that she can't quite find the words to articulate. She doesn't think Louis did anything to warrant a reaction like that, but her mistrust of men—her history with men and their intentions—makes a momentary flash of terror cross her own face. Something has Rin terrified.

"Rin!" she quickly calls his attention. "He's not here for… for _that_!" At least… she hopes not.

Agitation is clear on Rin's face, and he still hasn't taken his eyes from Louis. "Then what _is_ he here for?"

"I wanted to see if my new _friends_ were okay after last night," Louis replies, nonplussed.

Aria immediately finds herself feeling guilty for her momentary doubt in Louis, but she manages a weak smile. "See? Friends," she says, more to Rin than to anyone else in the room. Her tone is a little more frantic than she'd like it to be, and she curses herself internally for it. "Nothing to worry about, right?"

With his eyes trained in a blank stare, Rin repeats, "Friends?"

Louis nods. "That's right, friends," he insists. "I want to be your friend, Rin. If you'd let me."

The smile on Aria's face is a little more genuine when she urges Rin on. "Louis is a good friend. I can already tell."

Though he's quiet, Aria can see Louis returning her smile. Rin, on the other hand, frowns in disbelief. "Friends? You want to be _friends_? With someone like _me_?" he asks incredulously.

Realization dawns on Aria. Between Rin's immediate reaction to Louis' presence and the way he's still defensive around Louis, even in spite of how nice Louis has been to them, something must have happened. She must be missing something.

She opens her mouth to speak, to ask what happened. "Wh—"

Rin cuts her off before she can even finish the question. "_Aria_, please," he snaps. "You don't _know_ what happened. What I _did_." His tone is sharp and agitated, and it shoots straight into Aria's ears, freezing her in place.

For a few long seconds, Aria stays frozen in her seat, her eyes flicking from Rin, to Louis, then back to Rin. Rin doesn't ever speak to her like that, not unless it's playful. This… this isn't playful. Not at all. She shakes herself out of her stupor, but murmurs quietly, inaudibly, "I would if someone told me…"

Louis seems undaunted when he replies. "I'm not bothered, Rin." Even as Rin turns to him sharply, Louis doesn't stop. "It doesn't bother me, what you did. I'm not upset or angry. I'm just worried. I want to be your friend."

A determined fire lights in the eye Aria can see peeking out from beneath Louis' curtain of hair. "I want to be your friend _because_ of who you are. I want to get to know you better." He turns to Aria briefly, before looking back at Rin. "Both of you. If it's possible."

Rin still doesn't meet either of their eyes. Shame sinks into his features, but he finally speaks up again. "Sorry… for accusing you. And for last night." After gathering the electrolyte water from the coffee table, he slowly eases himself up from the couch. "I think… I'll take another nap. Thank you… for checking up on us."

Without waiting for a response, Rin slowly makes his way to the stairs and closes the door behind him. Aria stares after him, still confused and trying to process everything that's going on. She stares at the door separating them from the staircase, not realizing she's been quiet for a few seconds too long. 

Worry gnaws at her. She knows Rin isn't acting like himself because the hangover has him feeling miserable, but everything else that's going on in his mind… it looks like it's gotten to the point where it's starting to affect his everyday life. Aria feels like her worst fears are coming true. Rin is miserable, unhappy, and she's helpless to fix it once again. She finally realizes how long she's been quiet, and turns back to Louis.

"Sorry," she finally speaks, laughing softly and self-deprecatingly. "I didn't… I didn't mean to zone out. I appreciate you doing that, though. It means a lot to him, whether he says so or not."

Louis meets her gaze. "It's alright," he reassures her. "What about you? Are you okay?"

Aria nods, though her tense smile likely belies those words. "I'm fine, don't worry about me," she insists. "I had no idea that Rin… I don't know what he did, but I had no idea that he did it. I promise, he's not like that all the time… or ever, really. Thank you. For… for all of this."

A dusting of pink paints itself across Louis' cheeks. "It's… I know he didn't mean to," he promises. "He was drunk. Don't worry, I'm not offended."

The pinkness in his cheeks makes Aria wonder all the more exactly what happened, and worry even more, but she doesn't ask. Instead, she decides to focus on Louis' kindness. "You have the patience of a saint," she offers with a sheepish laugh. "I mean, you really just met us, and we've been pretty much nothing but trouble to you. Yet, here you are, wanting to be our friend."

With a faint smile, Louis replies, "I do believe you were the first to extend that offer of friendship, Aria. Besides, I can't ignore people who are in desperate need of help. If being a friend to you both can alleviate some of your pain, then I'm happy to be here."

Louis glances toward the door that leads to the stairway, his smile turning melancholic. "I may not understand everything he's going through, but I do know what it's like to struggle with yourself. It's… a lonely, painful experience."

Aria nods sadly, quickly dismissing his concern, because she knows she can handle her own problems. "I know some of his struggles, but there are some… he hasn't told me." She hesitates, then looking down at the table. "It's a miracle he's acknowledged what he has. We've had… _he's_ had voices in his ear all his life, telling him how wrong it is to be who he is. So… I worry that he'll never be willing to acknowledge it and he'll self-destruct under the pressure."

She isn't sure where the whole tirade came from, but it's out there now, and as much as she wishes she could, she can't push it back in. All she can do is lift her eyes and look at Louis, hoping he accepts it as well as she thinks he will.

With an empathetic nod, Louis continues. "If you'd left it alone alone, he very well could have," he tells her, his lips turning downward. "And… still could. I'm sorry if this is forward of me, but during our dinner the other day, I said something that may have triggered him. Is… does Rin struggle with his sexuality?"

Aria nods. "The Karen thing, right? He told me about that," she admits sheepishly.

“He seemed startled when I brought it up,” Louis muses. “I just… presumed it meant one of two things.”

Aria's eyes shoot open, and she shakes her head adamantly. "He's not… well, he _is_, in a way… sort of phobic, but not of others, it's more of…" She sighs and looks at the table. "Himself, I guess? I mean, this is all… this is all based on assumption, to be honest. I still don't… he still hasn't told me anything."

“I’m sorry, I know it’s… not my place. But, I think… with the right people behind him, he’ll come around, Aria.”

With a sad smile, Aria nods. She wishes that she could be the right person to help him, but she knows and understands that, in this case, she isn't enough. He needs someone who's been there. Someone to help him see that he's still normal. She meets Louis' gaze again. "I think… I think you'll be good for him. You're a good person, I can tell. And I can tell you really care about him."

Before she even realizes what's happening, she's ripping her chest open and spilling a whole story that isn't even hers on the ugly grandma carpet under her feet. "You just have to be patient," she tells Louis. "A lot of it is… drilled into his head by people who were supposed to care about him. Foster parents. 'Friends.' I tried everything I could to undo it, but with those voices in his ear, whispering all those terrible things… there's only so much one voice can do to counteract."

"I managed to bypass the gender negativity," she continues. "But when it comes to the sexuality stuff, I wasn't so lucky. Especially when he won't even be honest with me. Or himself."

The fact that Louis hasn't even said a word, instead just looks at her with an empathetic expression on his face, does nothing to assuage her sudden anxiety. It doesn't do anything to stop her rambling, either.

"It makes it difficult, because… I'm his sister, you know? I have to protect him, and make sure he stays safe and happy, but…" She shakes her head, blinking and looking at Louis in surprise. Leave it to her to make a situation that has nothing to do with her, all about her. Once a selfish bitch, always a selfish bitch.

She continues, trying to smile when she meets Louis' gaze again. "But maybe it'll be easier now. With good friends, instead of the 'friends' he always had growing up. And with you. Especially given how… interested… you already are in him," she smirks.

The surprised blink Louis gives in response is telling enough on its own, but combined with the sudden redness in his cheeks it says more than words could have. "O-oh…" he says nervously, clearing his throat and laughing nervously. "Is it that obvious already?"

Aria's grin grows more.

Clearing his throat again, Louis scrambles for a subject change. "Aria, you don't have to shoulder everything on your own," he tells her. "It's like you said, you have friends in Yakumo and I. _And_ I'm sure that everyone in Ichor has your back."

Quickly dismissing herself from the situation, because she refuses to take the focus from a situation that's about _Rin_ and what _Rin_ needs, Aria nods and turns the focus back to him instead. "I know. It's great for Rin. Most of his friendships when we were kids were shallow, because he's a cutie and all the girls wanted him. I'm sure you know what I mean," she teases him with a smirk. "I'm sure good people like you guys will do more than I ever could."

Louis smiles, but it isn't his usual warm smile. Before Aria can ask, he speaks up again. "You don't give yourself enough credit, Aria. But…" he quiets his voice and looks reflectively at the table. "Maybe someday you will."

Aria shrugs. "I just do what any good sister would," she tells him. "I'm sure Karen would agree."

The genuine smile comes back to Louis' face. "I know she would," he tells her, before glancing at the time on his phone. "I should probably get going and give you a chance to rest."

Initially, Aria is surprised by the sudden topic change, but she nods and stands up to show Louis to the door. "Okay. Um..." she pauses and looks away, refusing to meet Louis' eye. "If you get a chance before I do… can you thank Yakumo for me? For his help, I mean? I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it in to work tonight, and I owe Yakumo _two_ now."

A small grin crosses Louis' face. "Sure. It would be a pleasure."

After a brief goodbye, during which Aria thanked him for the coffee again, Louis leaves. Once she's left alone with her thoughts again, Aria sighs and heads to the kitchen to clean up after breakfast. She knows Louis told her to get some rest, but ultimately, she knows it's a futile battle. She won't be able to sleep, between worries about Rin battling it out with her own nightmares and selfishness.

Once the kitchen is clean, she sits on the couch with her paisley throw wrapped around her again, turns the TV on and tries to relax her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LONG CHAPTERS ARE LONG.
> 
> But! It was important to give everyone a glimpse into Aria's disaster of a mind. Some really important things were revealed here! ♥ And some feels were felt.


	7. Rin (IV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin feels considerably better by the time he wakes up from his second nap of the day. The pounding in his head is finally gone, thanks to Louis’ thoughtful care package. The extra pain medication helps too, though Rin is sure Aria would’ve hidden the new bottle had it not been left plainly on the coffee table. He’s still somewhat irked that she felt the need to ration the pain medication just because of one little slip up. Still, he doesn’t blame her, even if it did hurt his feelings. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rin is finally awake and ready to face the day! Or not.

Rin feels considerably better by the time he wakes up from his second nap of the day. The pounding in his head is finally gone, thanks to Louis’ thoughtful care package. The extra pain medication helps too, though Rin is sure Aria would’ve hidden the new bottle had it not been left plainly on the coffee table. He’s still somewhat irked that she felt the need to ration the pain medication just because of _ one _ little slip up. Still, he doesn’t blame her, even if it _ did _hurt his feelings. 

After taking the necessary dosage, he left the rest of the bottle on top of his computer desk, untouched. To his surprise, it's still there when he wakes up two hours later. He debates on whether he should bring it downstairs or pocket it. _ Hide them. _ A voice in his mind supplies. _ For later. Hide them in a sock. In a drawer. For later. _

The urge to do so is compulsive, but Rin resists. He needs to. He’s stronger than that, he knows he is. He _ has _to be.

Physically shaking the thoughts out of his head, Rin crawls out of bed, stretches the kinks from his body, and then heads for the desk. He pockets the pills, unplugs both his laptop and drawing tablet, and makes his way downstairs. A quick glance to Aria’s open bedroom is more than enough to tell him that she’s still downstairs, probably still wrapped up in her comfort throw blanket or, more likely, keeping herself busy in the kitchen.

A yawn escapes him as he opens the door into the living room. “I’m alive again,” He manages around his yawn. He’s not surprised to hear music from Aria’s Spotify playlist filtering through the apartment.

The living room smells like freshly baked cookies, and a part of Rin—the part of him that isn’t still hung up about the fact that he embarrassed his sister last night—is excited for her cookies. He sets up his laptop and tablet on the coffee table and sits back on his favorite spot on the couch.

“Did you get a chance to nap, Ari?” He calls out to her. “I don’t want you going to work exhausted on my account.” As he settles into the cushion, he feels the medicine bottle press into his side. For the barest of seconds, he debates on leaving it be.

“Oh, no need to worry. I’m not going today.” Aria replies from the kitchen. Her voice filters into Rin’s brain, snapping his attention back to her. “Eva’s covering for me. She said it was fine.”

“You sure? You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”

He catches Aria’s eye from the half-wall. “Okay, but like… when have I ever _ not _wanted to spend time with my favorite person?” Her smile is genuine, and it makes a hot spike of guilt spear right into Rin’s heart. She turns away, turning up the music on her Spotify before she pulls the tray of cookies from the oven.

Rin takes that moment to boot up his laptop, and dislodge the pill bottle from his thigh. “Sorry, force of habit, I guess. If you’re not working tonight then maybe you should sleep? You seem exhausted.”

He already knows what she’s going to say, and when the decline comes, Rin feels resignation and sadness settle in his bones. “I just drank a cup of coffee. Plus, I made cookies. You know I can’t go to sleep when there’s fresh double chocolate cookies.” She brings a freshly baked cookie into the living room and hands him the plate. “I know you can’t resist ‘em.” She smiles.

Rin hesitates for a split second. He takes the plate from Aria’s hand, muttering a quick _ thank you _. He knows she can sense his hesitation if the flash of worry that passes through her face is any indication. He takes that moment to stick a hand into his pajama pocket and pulls out the painkillers. It terrifies him how difficult the action is to do, but he manages, and he hands it over to Aria. “My headache is gone so I don’t… need them.”

Aria blinks, taking the bottle from his hand and staring at them for a few seconds. She nods, setting them on the coffee table for now. "So, you're feeling better?"

“Yeah, I am. Thank you again for taking care of me.” He smiles genuinely.

With a soft smile, she presses a kiss to the top of his head. "I'm always here to take care of you, Sunshine. Don't thank me, thank Louis." She chuckles softly.

Remembering Louis so soon after his nap sends a spike of nerves up Rin’s spine. Instead of acknowledging it, he decides to sink his teeth into the warm cookie and practically feels his wounded pride heal. Aria’s double chocolate cookies are the best thing he’s ever eaten after a hangover, he decides. The chocolate melts right onto his tongue, the dough is soft and chewy. It tears a moan from his lips. 

“It’s so dewey, Ari, oh my god.” He drools. “More please.”

With a laugh, Aria complies and returns to the living room with several more cookies. She flops onto the couch next to him and crosses her legs in a lazy butterfly as he eats. “Is the music too much?” She asks after a moment.

Rin shakes his head, taking the opportunity to stuff his cheeks with more cookies. “No, it’s fine,” he says around a mouthful then glances her way. “Did you have another nightmare?”

She breaks off a small section of her own cookie and pops it into her mouth with a nod. “It’s fine, though. Nothing I’m not used to.”

“You can always cuddle with me if it happens again, you know.” He offers.

Aria’s expression is somber, but she nods. “I know. I didn’t wanna wake you up, though. You needed sleep.” She shrugs and leans her head back against the couch, looking at Rin lovingly. “I’m glad you’re doing better. The world never quite seems right without a smiling Sunshine.”

Guilt rears its ugly head again, but Rin chases it away. He cleans his fingers on his pajama bottoms and starts up an art program on his laptop. “Well, at least I don’t feel quite like the walking dead anymore,” He chuckles self-deprecatingly. “Your cookies always soothe my soul, Ari.”

“Good. What do you want for dinner tonight? I’ll make whatever. As a little ‘Rin’s feeling better’ celebration.” She smirks.

Rin’s eyes light up at the thought. He turns to her with hopeful eyes and asks, “Can we have tacos?”

“Didn’t I _ just _say whatever you want?” She grins, poking him in the ribs. She rises from the couch, heading toward the kitchen. “Extra cheese for you, right?” She asks over her shoulder.

“Please and thank you!” He beams.

“Wanna come help me? Or at least keep me company in the kitchen and talk with me? It’s been boring and lonely down here all day.”

“Yeah, sure!” Rin picks up his equipment and resettles himself at the kitchen table, facing Aria as she works her way around the room. “How long did Louis stay after I passed out?” He asks after a moment of silence.

“‘Bout a half-hour?” She shrugs, then takes a frying pan and some ground beef from the fridge. “We talked a little bit. About this and that.”

_ About me _. His mind unhelpfully supplies. Rin turns his attention toward his art program and he starts to sketch absently. He isn’t sure what he plans on drawing but decides to go with the flow of his mood. He nods in acknowledgment to Aria’s words and glances her way. She has her back turned toward him as she works on the meat. “What did you guys talk about?” He asks.

“Nothing.” He sees the way her movements pause before starting again. “We were concerned about you, so we talked about that for a little bit. And then I thanked him for still wanting to be our friend despite the fact that we’ve literally been nothing but trouble.” She laughs humorlessly.

Rin hums noncommittally. So, Louis is still interested in their friendship despite their disastrous two days? Rin shakes his head, bewildered. He doesn’t understand Louis no matter how hard he tries to. The sketch on his computer is slowly coming to life. It’s a stylized version of a person, though Rin isn’t sure who it is just yet.

“Yeah, he’s… a nice person, huh?” He murmurs, focusing intently on his sketch. “I feel really bad for accusing him of… bad behavior, but honestly I…” he trails off, unsure of what he wants to say or how much he’s willing to reveal to Aria at this moment. He doesn’t want to ruin the good mood between them. “He’s nice.” He finishes lamely.

“He is nice. The type of friend we always wanted growing up,” she chuckles.

Rin thinks of his old friends, the ones he lost during freshman year and the ones he hung out with throughout high school. He imagines what life would’ve been like had Louis been one of them. Would things be different? Did Louis really hold that much power to change the course of their lives? He doubts it.

Unwillingly, Rin thinks of their previous foster parent and immediately decides that, no, things would _ not _be different. Not if Mido had a say in it. If Aria and Rin made friends with Louis back in high school, Mido would’ve put an end to it right then and there.

He chuckles sardonically to himself and mutters, “Yeah, don’t think ‘Mr. Mido’ would’ve approved of him.” Realization suddenly dawns on him and his drawing pen accidentally scratches the tablet, leaving a deep, jagged line on his lineart. He hadn’t meant to voice his thoughts out loud. He tries to cover up his mistake with a cough, tries to pretend he’s choking on his own spit, but it’s too late. He knows Aria heard him. The way her shoulders are hunched is every indication of it. 

Yet, she shakes the slip up away and quips, “I don’t think he approved of _ anyone _ . Shit, I don’t think he approved of _ himself _most of the time.”

She’s giving him a way out and Rin takes it like his life depends on it. He forces out a laugh. “Y-yeah, probably not.”

“Doesn’t matter. He’s dumb and we’re not. And neither is Louis. So let’s talk about him instead.” Aria flashes him a smile as she starts breaking the meat apart. “You should hang out with him again sometime. He’s really easy to talk to.”

“Oh, Aria, I don’t know. I feel pretty bad for all the trouble I’ve put him through already.” He sighs, erasing the jagged ink line on his layer. He tries not to think back to yesterday when he essentially dry-humped Louis on the floor of Ichor.

“He really wants to be your friend, Rin.” She insists plainly.

“Yeah, and it makes absolutely no sense.” He huffs. “Last night, I—” He pauses, cringes. He frowns into his computer screen, trying to figure out the best way to word what he wants to say. “I… when we fell, I…” He sighs, feeling the heat of embarrassment and shame crawl up the nape of his neck. “I rubbed my groin against his a-and still, d-despite that, he wants to be my friend?” He rushes.

“So _ that’s _how he knew…” She mutters quietly. Rin isn’t sure if Aria meant for him to hear or not, but realization dawns on him as her words settle into his ears.

He groans, feeling even more embarrassed. “Oh great, now he knows I’ve got nothing right down there.” He’d been so busy worrying about what _ Louis _ thought of Rin rubbing against him that he completely forgot to take into account that Louis would know exactly _ what _he is.

Aria shoots him a disapproving frown over her shoulder. “Don’t say it like that, please.” She says. “Well… well that's the difference between real friends and the friends we’re used to, Sunshine.” She turns the burner down and finally gives him her full, undivided attention. “A real friend will make you feel as safe and comfortable as I do. He does that, doesn’t he?”

“I-I don’t know,” He murmurs.

“Yes, you do. I think you’re just afraid to admit you do. It’s okay to feel comfortable with friends, you know?”

“Friends, huh?” Rin perches his chin against his palm thoughtfully. “Yeah… I guess.”

“If you’re really worried about it, why don’t you do something nice for him?” She smiles. “Make it up to him somehow?” She turns back around and gathers the seasonings to add to the ground beef.

Rin takes that moment to refocus on his lineart. He adds a few more clean lines toward the picture, zooming out to inspect the image he’s created. It’s a stylized image of two boys, sitting close together on a picnic blanket in a field of flowers. Their hands are within touching distance, yet neither of them reaches out to close the gap, despite the raised index finger on one of the boys. Rin mulls over Aria’s words. What could he possibly do to show Louis that he’s grateful for his kindness?

“I don’t know anything about the guy outside of ‘he’s nice.’” Rin confesses. _ And hot _ . He adds mentally, but there’s no way he’s openly admitting to _ that _ bombshell. “What could _ I _ possibly do for him?” _ Outside of causing him trouble. _

Aria’s soft laughter grabs Rin’s attention. She’s staring at him warmly, but with amusement. “He says, while he’s sitting there, doing the one thing he’s better at than anyone else in the whole entire world.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Aria’s laughter is like music to his ears, though, he isn’t sure what made her laugh in the first place. “Sunshine. You could _ draw _something for him.” She points to his laptop with her spatula.

Rin blinks, stunned. A second passes. Then two. His whole face flushes red and he buries his face behind his hands.

“Are you _ crazy _?!” He cries shrilly. “I can’t do that!”

“Uh, why not?” She shrugs, nonchalantly. “You _ said _he was interested in your art, remember?”

“Bu-bu-bu-_ but that was before last night!” _ He squeaks behind his hands. “I can’t just _ draw _him a picture! Besides, I don't even know what I would draw. What does he even like? I know he reads but… I can’t do that! Nu-uh, no way. Maybe I can get him a gift card or something? People like gift cards right?” He peers up at Aria from between his fingers. The room feels way too hot for his comfort. 

“I know something he wants,” She smiles knowingly. “You want to know?”

“Please.”

“He _ wants _ to know more about you. So,” She gestures to his tablet again. “that's something you can do with the tablet. Draw something from the heart. Something that means something to you. He'd really like that.”

Rin groans dramatically and sags in his chair. “Aria now is not the time to go Disney on me. Draw something from the heart? _ What _ heart? My heart is pure darkness.” He scoffs dramatically. “What could _ I _possibly draw that he’d like? Also, did you forget the type of artist I am? Unless Louis is into fandom, there’s nothing I could give him that he would like.” Rin pauses then frowns. A thought passes through his mind and though, it sounds stupid, given Louis’ unnatural interest in him, he wonders if it wouldn’t be? “I mean… I could… draw him a dick? Or like, his O-T-P fucking?”

The entire time Rin is lost in his spiel. Aria mimics his words with her hand, puppeteering his words until his final sentence registers into her mind. She shoots him a look that's too much like a mother disapproving of her child’s behavior.

“Rin. Are you kidding me? You can draw more than fandom, too. You can draw _ anything _ you put your mind to, so don't limit yourself. Please. You draw something that means something to you, and that will be enough for him.” Her expression turns solemn. “And I'm not 'going Disney.' I'm dead serious.”

Rin rolls his eyes theatrically, feeling very much like a sixteen-year-old again. “I was only joking about the dick thing. I don’t want to give him the wrong impression. But… _ fine, _I’ll… figure out what to draw for him.” He sighs heavily, as though making the decision was far too troublesome for him, but the expression on his face belies the truth. He’s interested. “Also, for the record, ‘draw something from the heart’ is a very Disney thing, Sugar Queen.” He turns his attention back to his laptop and continues working on his art piece.

“You say that like you don't know I sit there and watch Mulan over and over again when I'm in a Disney mood. But good. I'm glad you're gonna do it.” She smiles and then turns her attention back to the pan on the stove. 

Rin shakes his head in mild amusement and starts humming to the song on Aria’s Spotify playlist. It’s not a song he usually listens to, but it’s one he’s heard countless times before. The melody drifts into the kitchen, and Rin taps his foot to the beat. 

Aria starts bouncing along to the beat of the song as she cooks. Rin can hear her voice, low and calm at first until she sashays over to him. She leans down beside him, nudging him with her shoulder. She uses the spatula as a microphone and sings the lyrics into it: “_ You make me glow, but I cover up don't let it show… _“ She holds the spatula out to him just as the next verse of the song starts.

“_ I’m puttin’ my defenses up,” _ He sings easily. _ “ ‘cause I don’t wanna fall in love. If I ever that—” _

“_ I think I’d have a heart attack! _” They chime in perfect unison, their voices melding together in easy harmony. They sing the rest of the words together, passing along the spatula to hit the notes they’re each capable of, until they’re giddy and breathless by the end.

“Man, it's been way too long since we've sang together like that!” Aria beams. She heads over to the cupboard and pulls down taco shells and beans, then some cheese from the fridge. “I think we should get back into the habit.”

Giggling, Rin nods. “Yeah, definitly.” His eyes zero in on the can of beans and already he can feel his soul shrivel up inside. “No beans, Ari.” He warns.

She scoffs. “Rin, we’re adults now. We’re not going through this.”

“You’re right, we’re _ not _ going through this because we’re _ not _adding beans into the tacos.” He smirks wryly.

With a dramatic, put upon sigh, Aria takes another, smaller pan out from the cupboard and settles it on the stove. “Can you really blame me for wanting you to, you know, _ live longer _?” She takes half of the ground beef out and switches pans, putting the beans in the other half. 

Rin watches her like a hawk. He doesn’t think she’ll slip beans into the meat now that she’s already dirtied an extra pan for it, but still. Aria has a habit of slipping vegetables into his meals when he isn’t looking. Rin isn’t about to let those dastardly demonic pebbles anywhere _ near _his stomach. 

“I don’t like beans, Ari,” He states plainly. “Even if they help me ‘live longer’. Not in _ my _tacos.” He huffs childishly.

“Right, but someday you’re gonna _ need _ to eat things you don’t like. Vitamins are _ actually _pretty important, Sunshine.” She shakes her head. “You can stop watching me. I’m not gonna put ‘em in your food. I said whatever you wanted for dinner, remember?”

“Okay but… you better not. I _ will _ know.” He squints at the pan where the beans were left as if he didn’t trust the _ beans _to not appear in his taco shells. He turns his attention back to his half-colored picture when he feels like he’s threatened the beans enough.

“Oh my god, you are so twelve sometimes.” Aria rolls her eyes, then starts humming along to the next song on her Spotify playlist.

“If Prince Noctis doesn’t like beans then why should I?” Rin quips.

“You are so lucky I’m not Ignis,” Aria laughs. As the conversation settles down, she starts singing along to the song currently playing. “_ I have a face I cannot show, I make the rules up as I go. Just try and love me if you can… are you strong enough to be my man? _”

Rin stops what he’s doing and watches her idly from above his laptop. He chuckles to himself, highly amused. She turns to him then, and adds, “What? You _ are _ lucky I'm not Ignis. He'd totally force-feed you all the beans in the world and you wouldn't be able to say no.” She turns back to the stove, looking somewhat thoughtful. “I wonder what kind of _ recipehs _ we could cook together, though.”

“I wasn’t commenting on that, just… finding it _ interesting _ lately.” He smirks coyly, staring back at his program. “Yakumo is nice.” He states plainly.

Aria practically gives herself whiplash with how fast she turns to face him. She tries to play it cool, but Rin can tell she’s flustered. “What does _ he _ have to do with anything?”

In a mockingly high, singsongy voice, Rin mimics: “‘_ Just try and love me if you can, are you strong enough to be my man,’ _ sounds like you're singing about,” He raises his voice again, “ _ Ya-ku-mo.” _He snickers like the gremlin he knows he is.

Aria scoffs. “Okay, first of all, _ no _ . Second of all, this song was on my playlist _ way before I even knew he existed _ .” She holds up a third finger as she continues, “ _ Third _ of all, I've known him for _ literally two days _. So, no. You're wrong. Period. End of conversation.” She spins back around and marches pointedly to the fridge. She takes out lettuce, a tomato, and sour cream.

“You know that song the muses sing to that one chick in that _ one particular movie _ ? How does it go again?” He pretends to think for a moment, stroking his chin before he sings again, “ _ You swoon, you sigh, why deny it? Uh-oh~ _” He eyes on the lettuce and the tomato midsong and frowns. “No lettuce and tomatoes please.” He turns his attention back to his laptop and continues adding the finishing touches of his picture. 

“This is not my first time cooking for you, Rin.” She shakes her head. “Also, there are not enough adjectives in the English language to describe how wrong you are.”

“You’re right, what do I know?” He sighs dramatically as Aria proceeds to chop up the lettuce. “I am just a poor child inexperienced in the ways of _ romance _.” With his face completely devoid of emotion, attention focused on his laptop, Rin adds: “No homo though, but he’s probably packing. He looks pretty built. Probably has a nice banana in those pants of his—fuck where is that dot?? What layer is that on??”

Aria’s amused laughter gets cut short the moment Yakumo’s size registers in her brain. She jerks in place, hissing out in pain. “Ow! Shit! Son of a… Rin can you turn the stove off for me? Ow, ow!” She rushes over to the table and grabs a paper towel.

Rin hastily shuts off the stove and hurries to Aria’s side, trying to inspect her finger. “Are you okay?” He queries, but with the paper towel covering her wound, Rin can’t tell if its serious or not.

“Yeah! Yeah, I just… sliced my finger. It's no big. Just a little cut.” She removes the paper towel and grabs peroxide from the medicine shelf. “Took me by surprise, is all.” She chuckles, but the way she avoids Rin’s gaze makes guilt drop into the pit of his stomach.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have mentioned Yakumo’s dick when you’re wielding sharp objects,” He jests, hoping it's is enough to make her laugh.

“Oh my god, can we not talk about his dick, please?” She tries to hide her face from Rin, but he can see the red creeping up on her skin. “Can you get me a band-aid?”

Rin pulls out an _ Invader Zim _themed bandaid from the medicine drawer and picks one from the box. He carefully opens it, positioning it around her cut. It doesn’t look too serious, but Rin can tell, with the way it bleeds, that it must be unpleasant all the same.

“I’m _ just _saying.” He murmurs. “You cut yourself pretty good there, sis.”

"It’s irrelevant because I'm _ not interested _ in him, Rin.” She sighs. “And it's nothing. Just a little boo-boo.” She sticks her tongue out at him.

“Pretty sure Yakumo isn’t a ‘little boo-boo’,” He quips unhelpfully, applying the bandaid.

“_ Oh my god, can you not _? I have no desire to think about his dick, Rin!” She desperately tries to avoid his gaze. “I'm not interested!”

“Oh yeah?” He grins impishly. “So why can’t you look me in the eye?”

“_ Gee _ , I don't know, Sunshine. Maybe because talking about the dick size of the cu—of one of the guys I work with, _ with my brother _, is terribly embarrassing and I'm trying to find any way out of the conversation?” She scoffs and looks down at her hand. “There, the band-aid is in place, and you have my reason. So, there's no reason to carry this conversation on anymore.”

“I’ll drop it as long as you keep the vegetables away from my tacos.”

“I wasn't even going to put them in! Jeez.” She sighs in exasperation. “Thanks for band-aiding my finger, Sunshine. You're the best.” She returns to the counter and starts putting their dinner together. “So, I know you had a rough night last night, but I still think you should come back to the bar with me next week. Just maybe… don't drink as much.”

With his teasing over, Rin returns to his laptop and picks up where he left off. “As long as Louis gives me a heads up, I’ll be fine.” He replies casually.

“I was surprised to see him, too. But it all turned out okay, right?”

Rin pauses what he’s doing as the most absurd thought crosses his mind. He thinks back to last night, the way Louis and Yakumo interacted with each other. He knows it’s dumb. It’s the second stupidest thought he’s had today, but he’s curious. More than that, he’s curious about what Aria’s reaction would be.

“Do you think they’ve ever boned each other?” He asks, watching her.

Aria stiffens in position and almost drops a spatula full of meat on the floor. “Well, that’s a pleasant mental image,” She says bluntly. Rin can’t detect any sarcasm in her tone. “No. I highly doubt that. For one, I don't think… I think Yakumo is straight.” She laughs a soft, humorless note.

He wonders what the laugh is for, and why it sounds so… lackluster. Isn’t it a _ good _ thing for Aria is Yakumo is straight? More than that, though, is why did she single Yakumo out? What about Louis? Rin’s dick joke from earlier had only been just that, _ a joke _.

“Okay, the way you said that makes me think _ you _don’t think Louis is also straight.”

“I don't think it's that cut and dry.” She admits, and for some reason, her response catches Rin off guard. She hums as she sprinkles some cheese into the taco shells. “I don't think… I don't think it's so much about _ gender _ with him as it is attachment. And attraction. I think he's selective. You know?”

“Huh...How would you know?” 

Aria shrugs. "It's just an impression I get." She turns to look at Rin and smiles. "He's not very secretive about his support, and I just… have a hunch."

Rin feels like he understands what Aria is implying, and he’s not sure he likes what it means. Or what it entails for him in the near future. Louis’ unnatural interest in Rin is exactly what it is—unnatural. Still, he’s… admittedly intrigued, and he’s not sure why.

“That’s… really enlightening, Ari.” He says eventually, genuinely stunned. “Huh.”

“Good.” She smiles. “Why'd that thought even come to your mind, Sunshine?” She sets the plate of tacos down in front of him just as Rin saves his progress and moves the laptop aside.

He doesn’t minimize the image he’s working on despite habitually doing so whenever Aria comes near enough to his laptop to see what he’s doing. Still, he’s zoomed into the image, working on the finer details, like the pattern on the blanket the cartoon boys are sitting on, so even if Aria _ does _look, she won’t see much. 

“I was just thinking… No homo or anything but Yakumo _ is _attractive, and I guess, in a way, so is Louis. So it just… kinda crossed my mind.” He shrugs. “I don’t know, it was kind of random. Probably a hormone spike. Sorry, that was probably a mood killer.”

“It's okay, you didn't kill any mood. Just took me by surprise.” She sits down next to him and immediately starts eating.

From where she sits, she has the perfect view of Rin’s laptop screen.

Aria pauses mid-bite and cranes her neck curiously, peering at the screen. "Whatcha drawin', Sunshine-o-mine?" she asks casually around a mouthful of food.

Rin takes a bite out of his taco as she asks and hums in delight. It takes a moment for him to register her words, and when he does, he glances at the screen. He swallows his bite. “A couple on a picnic,” He says. “Wasn’t really planning on drawing anything specific. It just kinda happened.”

"Can I see it?" Aria presses, gesturing toward the screen. "The whole thing I mean? It's been awhile since I've seen anything you've drawn."

Rin blinks for a moment, processing her words. He wipes his fingers on a napkin then reaches for his laptop and zooms out of the image. There, for all the world to see, is a mostly complete image of two boys enjoying each other’s company in a flowery landscape. The sun is setting just beyond the horizon, bathing the scene in hues of reds and oranges. Rin nearly panics when he realizes what he’s drawn—_ who _he’s drawn. He doesn’t think Aria will notice, though. Not with how heavily saturated the colors are and the deep shadows brought on by the sunset. The deep violet of his character’s hair comes across as black and the familiar shade of brown that he recognizes from Louis’ hair comes out darker as well. Still, paranoia takes a hold of him. He hastily bites into his taco in an effort to hide his mortification.

Aria smiles wide. "Wow. You've _ really _ gotten those Klex body types down! Look at you!" She ruffles his hair and hugs him from the side. "I'm so proud of you, Sunshine."

Rin pauses chewing, stunned, but also immensely relieved. He’s been saved by his favorite fictional pairing and he mentally pats himself on the back for driving Aria up the wall with his Klex rants this past summer. He’s also immensely grateful for Kieran’s dark hair.

He gives her a bright smile and mumbles _ thanks _around his full mouth.

“You know what we should do?” Aria asks after several minutes of pleasant silence. “We _ should _ take these tacos into the living room and you can finally force me to watch Catron. You put me in the mood for it, like the butthead brother you are.”

Rin chuckles. “You don’t know what you’re in for, Ari, but if you insist.”

He gathers up his plate and leads Aria into the living room. When he settles down first, she presses a gentle smooch on the top of his head. “Best butthead brother I could ever ask for.” She murmurs. 

Rin can’t help but beam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [As a gift for Lizi, I had the scene of the twins singing 'Heart Attack' by Demi Lovato commissioned!](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LBYxc_F8uenG_-enOzcBpecoy_zzfG2j/view) I honestly don't know if the link will work, but I'm too tired to fix it now LOL The art was drawn by @Socijart on twitter!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


	8. Aria (IV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aria smiles in spite of herself. She looks at the pavement again, trying to will her cheeks not to heat up. "Well… maybe that's because you're so easy to talk to," she answers. Bringing a smile to her face, she lifts her head and meets Yakumo's gaze again. "Besides, it's kinda hard to be sullen and sour with someone who's done nothing but help you since the first time you met them."
> 
> Laughing warmly, Yakumo shrugs and meets her gaze. "Well, I couldn't just ignore you."
> 
> The smile on Aria's face grows a little wider, a little warmer. "Careful when you say nice things like that. I might start wanting to hang out with you more often," she points out.
> 
> "You say that like it's a bad thing," Yakumo replies quickly.

After the disaster that was the previous weekend, it's a relief to be on campus. When Aria and Rin had parted in the morning, they'd agreed to meet after their morning classes for lunch at the student union, and then work together to try and find their second block of classes. Lunch had consisted of Aria's leftover chicken noodle casserole, and with that quickly consumed, they had plenty of time to wander campus in desperate search of their individual classes.

Wandering that has, until this point, proven completely aimless.

So aimless, in fact, that they've completely given up on it and just wander, enjoying each other's company and observing people as they pass. They share Aria's earbuds, while Aria practices songs Daryl told her they were adding to the set list for the next week.

Somehow, miraculously, Aria _didn't_ lose her job for missing one-and-a-half days on her first weekend. She doesn't know what merciful deity is looking out for her in this instance, but she vows to do what she can to make sure she's prepared for the next weekend.

As she and Rin walk together, she sways her head in time with the music and watches groups of people as they pass. Her voice is quiet as she sings, not wanting to draw more unwanted attention like she did the day Eva noticed her. Even with her subdued voice and motions, she can't help but hold her hand up to her mouth and sing into an imaginary microphone.

"_You're lyin' so low into the weeds; well I bet you wanna ambush me… you got me down, down, down, down on my knees. Now wouldn't you? Barracuda!_" As soon as she finishes singing, she pauses the song, sighs, and turns to Rin. "I like the higher register she uses there, but I think I'd like it better if it was lower. You know, for symbolism?" she asks.

What she's _really_ saying is that she's afraid to change the sound of a classic. She doesn't want the crowd to be put off. She has ideas, though. Ideas of ways to make the songs her own, so that she's not just singing Heart's version of Barracuda, but she's singing _Revenant's_ version of Barracuda by Heart.

With a nervous smile, she sings both versions again and looks to Rin. "What do you think?"

After listening carefully, Rin settles her with an encouraging look and a smile. "I'm partial to the lower version, too. I think it sounds more powerful."

Aria idly sings the line in the lower register again, and a smile spreads across her face unbidden. "Yeah, you're right! And then I can do the 'burn at the wick' part in the higher register, since flame rises. You're a genius, Rinnykins!" She bumps him with her hip and beams at him.

When she meets Rin's gaze, though, his head is ducked down and his cheeks are dusted pink. "Don't call me that outside the house," he mumbles.

Smirking conspiratorially, Aria shrugs her head to the side. "Why? It's cute! Everyone has a cute nickname or two!" She nudges him with her shoulder.

Rin looks almost like a turtle ducking into his shell, with the way he ducks his head into his hoodie. He tries to glare at her, but it's the least threatening glare she's ever seen. "Yeah, but _that_ one stays indoors," he answers, nudging her playfully in return.

"You didn't used to care when I called you cute nicknames," Aria announces with a dramatic pout, as she crosses her arms at her chest.

Rin goes from being a turtle to being a frog, puffing his chest out to make himself look bigger. Aria can't help but stifle a giggle at the sight. "Yeah, when I was a kid," he declares. "I'm a _big_ boy now."

The grin on Aria's face widens. "I'll keep that in mind next time I want to put sweet peas in my chicken noodle casserole," she retorts.

It's impossible to properly describe the look of disgust that crosses Rin's face. He furrows his brows and sticks his tongue out like a petulant toddler, his nose scrunched up in disgust, and his lip curled.

This time, Aria doesn't bother to stifle her amusement. "If you're such a _big_ boy, you shouldn't mind it so much!" she points out, clapping her hands together happily. "So, that's good to know! I'll stop falling for your cute, brotherly wiles and put whatever veggies I want in _everything_ I cook!"

"Aria, I will not hesitate to disown you," Rin deadpans.

Aria scoffs, faux-scandalized. "You would never!" she gasps.

"If you dishonor me with veggies, I will."

Still grinning, Aria shrugs. "Which means, you're not _truly_ a big boy, which means I can call you whatever nickname I want!" She beams wide, her victory clearly secured.

When Rin simply sticks his tongue out childishly, she laughs again. "Besides, I would never put dishonor on you, or your cow. You have to know that by n—"

A voice cuts through her words, calling out from several yards behind them. "Hey! Aria, Rin! Is that you?"

As soon as the voice hits Aria's ears, recognition strikes her like a lightning bolt. She turns her head far too quickly. In her panic, she completely forgets to the fact that she's still wearing half of the headphones. The speed of her turn results in a very awkward moment where she accidentally chokes herself with the headphone wire. She makes an odd noise from her throat; something like a hack, and blinks when she sees Yakumo standing with some girl, waving at them.

The girl is incredibly cute. She has short, cropped dark hair, and big light brown eyes. She's built taller and stronger than Aria, and with a brief flash of envy, Aria realizes that her chest is at least two sizes bigger than Aria's own. Aria pushes the envy down quickly; even quicker when she realizes Yakumo is approaching them.

"Uh… hi!" Aria greets, trying not to cough after choking herself.

Rin looks like he's trying not to laugh at her misfortune, but he ultimately fails and tries to hide his laughter by coughing into his fist. "H-hey!" he greets Yakumo.

"Don't you dare," Aria rumbles.

The devilish smirk that plays upon Rin's lips in that moment does absolutely nothing to assuage Aria's sudden feeling of dread. "Just remember… think of the banana," he murmurs.

Aria's whole face immediately turns red, and she tries to cover it with her hand. "You are the worst," she mutters under her breath.

When Aria's gaze finally falls upon Yakumo, she realizes that he's practically jogged to close the distance between them, completely leaving the girl in the dust. It seems like the girl is irritated, with a hand on a hip that's dramatically jutted out. Huffing in annoyance, she finally slowly starts following him to get to the twins.

"I thought that was you two!" Yakumo greets them, before gently clapping Rin on the shoulder. "Good to see you up on your feet, dude!"

Grimacing slightly, Rin manages a soft laugh and a jovial tone when he replies. "Oh, yeah, I was doing a great job trying not to think about that," he replies. "Thanks, man!"

Yakumo laughs. "That's what I'm here for. To remind people of their little mistakes and make sure you don't relive 'em." He pauses and laughs, turning around and showing the twins the security emblem on the back of his jacket. "Was that a joke, or a scathing critique of the security job description? You decide."

With a laugh, Rin retorts, "Wow, security guard by day, mixologist by night. Will the wonders of the amazing Yakumo ever cease?"

Shrugging nonchalantly, Yakumo chuckles. "Probably not, but that's my cross to bear," he jokes. "Hey Aria. Nice to see you, too."

Aria's cheeks are probably the reddest they've ever been. She smiles, but it's slightly tense with her nerves. "Uh… yeah. Hi," she answers lamely. "Didn't know you were security here."

Yakumo nods. "Yeah, Monday through Wednesday, then I work Friday through Sunday at the bar, which means tonight I'll probably pass out as soon as I get home," he muses with a genuine laugh, but Aria can see the bags beneath his eyes and how his posture is slightly hunched with his exhaustion.

Before she can comment, the girl Yakumo was with shows up beside him and gives him a mildly annoyed look. "Way to leave me behind, Yakumo, jeez!"

Chuckling, Yakumo turns to her and shrugs. "I said I'd be right back!" He turns to Rin and Aria again. "Guys, this is my friend Emily. Emily, these are my friends Rin and Aria. I mentioned them to you before, remember?"

The fake smile on Emily's face sends a familiar jolt of unpleasantness down Aria's spine. She waves, falsely cordial, then says, "Oh, yeah, I remember. Hi."

"Hey," Aria greets, trying to keep her discomfort from her tone.

Clearly oblivious, Rin shoots finger guns at Emily and levels her with his bright smile. "Always a pleasure to meet new friends!" he tells her.

It seems Yakumo is also oblivious to the tension in the atmosphere, because he stuffs his hands into his pockets and looks at the twins with a smile just as genuine as Rin's. "Hey, where were you guys headed? Maybe we can walk together!"

Emily scoffs. "Hey, I thought we were gonna—"

Yakumo waves her off with a shrug. "Oh, c'mon, Emily. We can go to the student union later. You mentioned that you were curious about the twins when I was talking about Aria before, remember?" he asks.

This whole scenario is too familiar for Aria's liking. Emily reminds her of girls in high school. Girls who dismissed her based on the way she dresses or the fact that she doesn't act like most of them. The way Emily puts on a sweet front and acts like the ditzy, friendly girl when she's talking to Yakumo may be at least partially genuine. When she looks at Aria, though… there's a coldness in her eyes, like she's passing the same judgement.

Girls like her are the reason why Aria doesn't have any friends.

"I mean, yeah, I guess," Emily murmurs under her breath, casting Aria an appraising look.

Yakumo smiles and looks at Aria. "Okay then, it's decided. Where are you headed?" he asks.

Even though Yakumo is looking at Aria, Aria can't bring herself to answer. She cowers slightly under Emily's judgemental gaze, and she turns to Rin, silently pleading with him to help her and answer.

It doesn't seem like Rin has caught on yet, because he still has that bright smile on his face. "We're lost!" he announces, shrugging nonchalantly. "We uh… we had a campus tour last week but we paid zero attention to it because L—" he cuts himself off, "because of reasons beyond our control, so we're just kinda… hoping we'll find where we need to go before our next classes start."

Aria wants to smile knowingly about the way Rin cut himself off, but she still finds herself shrinking under Emily's scrutinizing gaze.

Undaunted, or maybe unaware, Yakumo smiles. "Oh, we can help you there, can't we Em?"

Emily nods. "Guess so."

Yakumo smiles and turns to Aria again. "Okay, so, where are you headed?" he asks her.

"Um… for me…" Aria reaches into her backpack and pulls her schedule out of the front pocket. "Communications 101, I think. With professor… Naomi somethingorother. The last name's blurred out because I spilled coffee on it last week." She laughs awkwardly.

Aria thinks she's the only one who sees Emily roll her eyes.

With a nod and a smile, Yakumo answers, "Oh, Naomi! You'll like her, she's fun!" he reassures Aria. "Yeah, I can show you where that is. What about you, Rin?"

Rin checks his phone, pulling his schedule up. "My next class is contemporary lit with, uh…" He squints and quirks an eyebrow. "Professor… Eye-oh?"

Laughing softly, Yakumo gently corrects, "Io. She's a little ditzy, but she's really nice. Your class is closer, Rin, so let's take you there first, okay?"

As they walk along the sidewalk, Aria finds herself between Yakumo and Rin, with Emily falling slightly behind the group. She can practically feel Emily's glare burning into the back of her head, but she doesn't understand why, since Yakumo has spent more time talking with Rin than he has with Aria. She rakes her teeth over her lip and tries to ignore the familiar knot of anxiety Emily's presence ties in her gut.

Yakumo smiles, casting Aria a sideways glance. "So, it's your first day on campus, is it?" he asks.

Rin nods, mumbling an affirmative answer. All the while he side-eyes Emily, trying to catch her eye. That sends another familiar pang of jealousy into Aria's gut. Rin talking to and palling around with the people who dismissed Aria before getting to know her is an unpleasant, familiar feeling. She doesn't say anything now, just like she didn't say anything then, because she understands that Rin needs friends outside of her.

It's only then that she realizes that Yakumo and Rin are looking at her, expecting an answer.

Aria clears her throat. "Oh, yeah. Kind of, anyway. I walked around a little bit before, trying to get my bearings, but…" She shrugs, trying to shake off the ever-tightening knot in her gut. "With no clue about where I was going, it was sort of… pointless."

Humming dismissively, Emily murmurs, "Yeah, it's a big campus." She turns her full attention to Rin, after worming her way between Aria and Yakumo. "So, do you guys live around here?"

The way Rin lights up makes Aria feel physically ill, but she masks it well enough. "Yeah, we live in the campus apartments! Y-you?" he asks.

Emily smiles proudly, but also somewhat coyly. "Oh, Yakumo and I are neighbors," she announces eagerly, her eyes directly on Aria when she says it, giving her a challenging look. "We've been friends since like… forever. Must be a little weird living with your twin sister. Especially being a boy and everything."

Yakumo shakes his head. "Nah, from what I've seen, they're pretty close," he tells Emily. "Right, Aria?"

Being addressed after being dismissed by Emily the way she was, makes Aria jump against her volition. She tries not to focus on the way Emily is staring at her. "Oh, yeah, we—"

Unfortunately, Aria doesn't get a chance to finish her sentence. Emily interjects, looking right past Aria and directly at Rin. "Still, isn't college where you're supposed to find out who you are, _without_ the people from your past?" she asks.

It seems like Rin finally starts to pick up on the tension. "O-oh, uh… I guess for some people s-sure," he answers, laughing awkwardly. "But we're not… we're not really like that."

Yakumo chuckles good-naturedly. "Besides, Em, didn't you come to Vein just to stay closer to me and Riki and Miguel?" he asks.

With a shrug and a nod, Emily dismisses Yakumo's comment with a laugh. "Well yeah, but we're not _twins_. We're _friends_," she points out. "That's totally different. Guess everyone's different, though."

Aria nods, trying not to let herself be pushed aside. "Yeah, I don't think Rin and I would've even come to college if we couldn't go to the same one," she admits with a forced smile.

"Mhm, interesting," Emily replies, faking pleasantness once again, before turning her attention to Rin. "So, Rin. What's your major? What're you looking to do?" she asks.

Rin suddenly seems like he's shrinking beneath the attention, and that's how Aria can tell he's caught on to the tension. "I-I'm a liberal arts major," he tells Emily. "Still trying to figure myself out. W-what about you?"

Shrugging and giving Rin a confident smile, she answers, "Oh, don't worry about figuring yourself out. That comes with time. I didn't figure out what I wanted to major in until year three, but I had all my prereqs out of the way which made it _super_ easy to transition into my business in sports management major! Now, I'm on my last year of my bachelors and looking forward to the next step! You'll figure it out." She beams at Rin.

Just as Emily is about to open her mouth and ask the next question, Yakumo speaks up instead, his attention on Aria. "What about you? What are you majoring in?" he asks her.

Aria blinks, surprised to be a part of the conversation again. "Oh. Um… fashion design, with a minor in interior design," she smiles bashfully. "I like to make stuff look pretty."

The look on Emily's face is one of disdain and disbelief, and Aria finds herself glancing down at the pavement in embarrassment. It looks like Yakumo is going to ask her a follow up question, but before he has a chance, Emily focuses her attention on Rin again and asks him another question.

"So, what do you think of campus so far, Rin?"

Rin shrugs. "I honestly haven't seen much of it to judge, but it seems like a nice place so far," he answers noncommittally, then nudges Aria gently in the side. "What about you, Ari?"

In a desperate attempt to cover up her melancholic mood, Aria pastes on a fake smile as she answers. "Oh. It's nice, definitely. People keep telling me it's small, but it's so much bigger than I could've expected," she muses as she looks around.

Yakumo nods. "I hear that a lot. It's easy for new students to get lost. Even my first day of working here, I couldn't figure out what was where. But… if either of you need directions, you can usually find me around here somewhere on Monday through Wednesday," he offers, smiling at Aria, specifically.

Aria turns pink under his gaze and murmurs, "Thanks."

After barely concealing a sound of annoyance, Emily picks up her step and places herself squarely between Aria and Yakumo. "Anyway!" she claps her hands together. "Rin! What do you like to do for fun?"

"Drink," Rin answers, too quickly. "I-I mean… I'm kind of boring. I don't do much for fun. I like to, uh, use Aria as a hair model, though! She has _great_ hair. Have you noticed? That style? That color? _Me_."

Emily casts a sidelong glance at Aria, her face strategically turned away from Yakumo. She turns her attention back to Rin, her expression not even a little bit impressed. "Mhm, that's great," she mumbles.

Still oblivious, Yakumo smiles at Rin. "Oh, so you're the guy we have to thank," he muses, reaching past both Emily and Aria to shove Rin playfully.

Emily's scoff is almost inaudible and gets lost in the midday breeze.

With a bright grin, Rin lifts his hands and wiggles his fingers back and forth. "Yup! Magic fingers! I know how to work 'em!"

Aria finally manages a smile, and a laugh, even. "Oh my god, Rin."

When Yakumo catches sight of Aria's smile, he meets it with one of his own. "A smile! She knows how!" he grins at her. "I was wondering what was going on. You've been frowning this whole time."

Just as quickly as Aria's smile appeared, it's gone again, and she's looking down at the pavement. "Sorry, I didn't realize," she muses, before looking back up at Yakumo and smiling. She turns to Rin, and drapes her arm over his shoulders. "I owe him a lot, though. He helps me pick my clothes, too."

In that same falsely-conversational tone, Emily remarks, "you'd think a fashion design student wouldn't need help."

Any reply Aria might have given gets trapped in her throat, but Rin speaks up instead, in a tone Aria has only ever heard when he talked to his old, fake friends. 

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong, my dear, sweet new comrade! Aria is really great at picking clothes out for other people, but she gets so overwhelmed trying to decide what to wear for herself that asking for advice is the smartest thing a fashion design student can do!" Rin tells Emily with a wink, shrugging nonchalantly and leveling her with a dangerous smile. "A person who is so confident in what they do that they can't see their flaws is bound to fail after all!"

Yakumo nods his agreement. "Well said," he tells Rin with a grin. "I think having… what's the word, blinders? Having blinders when it comes to yourself is a completely normal thing. We all have 'em. Plus, Aria's lucky enough to have a brother who's obviously pretty good at helping her."

Aria's cheeks feel like they're going to burn off her face with how hot they are. "Uh… thanks," she mutters.

Once again, Emily doesn't give Aria a chance to say anything else before she's standing squarely in front of Yakumo and trying to block him from Aria's view. She turns to Rin. "Anyway! This is the building you're looking for, Rin. I'm sure you can figure it out from here."

"Oh, I don't know, Emily," Rin says, feigning helplessness and flashing Emily a charming smile. He offers her his arm and bats his eyelashes innocently. "Maybe you could show me to my classroom? Since you're a senior and all, and you probably know your way around the building?"

Emily looks conflicted. She looks from Rin to Yakumo, then to Aria. "Oh, but… wouldn't it make more sense for _Yakumo_ to show you, since you two are friends and everything?"

It seems like Yakumo has finally sensed some of the tension in the air. "I'm friends with Aria too, Em," he points out.

With her brown eyes focused on Aria, her expression falters again. It only lasts a second, before she's turning up the fake sweetness, looking at Rin, and smiling in reply. "Well, I suppose I _should_ do the right thing, shouldn't I?" she asks as she brushes past Aria, completely ignoring her, and slides her arm into Rin's. "I'll see you later, Yakumo, right?"

Yakumo arches an eyebrow. "Later?" he asks.

Emily nods. "Dinner. Remember? We made plans!" she explains.

Brows furrowed, Yakumo rubs the back of his neck in mild confusion. "I don't… remember making plans, but alright I guess," he laughs awkwardly. "See you later."

To say that Aria is nervous is an understatement. She can handle being ignored, and even bullied, but when it comes to being alone with someone like Yakumo… someone who's cute and charming and nice? That's when she _really_ gets nervous. She swallows, then waves goodbye to Rin.

"See you at home, Sunshine!" she tells Rin.

Rin bids her farewell, then whisks Emily away without another word… and then, Aria is alone with Yakumo. She turns to look at him, surprised to see him watching after Emily and Rin with confusion on his face. He pushes his bangs behind his ear, then turns to Aria with a soft laugh.

"Still not sure about those dinner plans," he admits. "I don't usually make any plans on Monday."

Aria blinks, thinking back to what he said at the beginning of the conversation. "Oh, right! You work at the bar on Sunday, don't you? Man, that's not a lot of sleep," she muses, trying to sound nonchalant, but likely failing. The whole encounter with Emily left an unpleasant taste in her mouth, but she knows she can't let Yakumo see her disappointment or how much it hurt, being ignored again.

"I'm lucky to get two hours on a good Sunday night, yeah," Yakumo chuckles dismissively. "I get home at two-thirty, but I can't just hop right into bed. Gotta wind down first. So, I get to bed at three-thirty or four, and then I have to be up at six to get here on time to start my shift."

Aria blinks. "Wow. How do you even function?"

Yakumo laughs tiredly. "I'm running about 100% on coffee right now," he answers.

"You still seem so…" She pauses, looks away, and tries to will her cheeks not to turn red, "nice. Cheerful." She casts Yakumo a sidelong glance from the corner of her eye.

With that same good-natured smile that suddenly decides to make her knees feel like jelly, Yakumo answers, "What's that phrase? Fake it 'til you make it? Or is it mind over matter?"

Laughing softly, Aria nods her head. "I'm vaguely familiar with both of those phrases, yeah," she answers, pushing her hair behind her ear.

Yakumo regards her with surprise in his eyes. "That's surprising," he muses, before pointing down a side path and leading her down it.

"What is?" Aria blinks.

Shrugging, Yakumo chuckles nervously. "You just seem so… confident all the time. Untouchable. Like you can handle anything." Aria thinks she must be imagining the red she sees dusting his cheeks.

With a single, soft breath of laughter, Aria shrugs nonchalantly. "Fake it 'til you make it, mind over matter, all that. I try to be, though." After a pause, her tone goes quiet as she looks back down to the pavement. "I try to be confident so Rin can feel confident, too. You know?"

Yakumo's expression softens, but he's still smiling, and his cheeks are still dusted pink. "I don't think I've ever seen a pair of siblings as close as you two are," he tells her. "It's nice."

Smiling bashfully, Aria nods. "Thanks," she tells him. "For a long time… we were all we had. I'd sooner burst into flames than ever let anything happen to Rin."

"I can tell," Yakumo tells her warmly. "It's good that you guys are so close. Means there's always someone in your corner."

Aria casts him a sidelong glance, considering her next step carefully. She doesn't really like to talk about _herself_, because it opens up way too many opportunities for people to take advantage of her when she's feeling weak or vulnerable, but… Yakumo doesn't seem like the people she's known in the past. Fighting through a mire of hesitation, she shrugs her head to one side and looks down at the pavement in front of her.

"Yeah," she answers. "We've had a lot of times when we were the only ones in each other's corner." She decides that's sufficient for now. If Yakumo is curious, he can ask. 

Yakumo blinks, surprised. "I find it hard to believe people like you guys have ever been alone," he admits.

Aria blinks, surprised, as she looks up at him. "What do you mean?" she asks.

Laughing awkwardly, Yakumo scratches a hand through his hair, then lets it fall lazily to his side. "That didn't come out like I wanted it to. I meant… you guys are fun to be around. Talented, and friendly, and nice people. You shouldn't ever have to feel alone," he tells her.

A shy smile spreads across Aria's face. "It's… it's like I said. I was never really alone, because Rin was always with me," she says with a warm smile, then pauses and casts Yakumo a sidelong, amused glance. "Also, I'm not that nice. Rin's the nice twin."

"I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit," Yakumo tells her as he stops them in front of a large building and turns to face Aria. "I mean, yeah, you're brother's a nice guy, and I can't wait to get to know him better, too, but… every time we've talked, you've been nothing but nice and friendly with me. I feel… completely at ease with you," he admits with a genuine smile as he searches Aria's face and waits for an answer.

An answer which, at first, Aria is way too surprised to give. She's usually told that she’s difficult to talk to. That she's too sullen or sour or standoffish; that it's her fault she doesn't have any friends. Then, all of a sudden, here's Yakumo, with his nice smile and kind eyes, telling her how at ease he feels around her and how easy it is to talk to her. She looks up at him, violet eyes wide, and tries to speak a couple of times before words finally come to her.

Aria smiles in spite of herself. She looks at the pavement again, trying to will her cheeks not to heat up. "Well… maybe that's because you're so easy to talk to," she answers. Bringing a smile to her face, she lifts her head and meets Yakumo's gaze again. "Besides, it's kinda hard to be sullen and sour with someone who's done nothing but help you since the first time you met them."

Laughing warmly, Yakumo shrugs and meets her gaze. "Well, I couldn't just ignore you."

The smile on Aria's face grows a little wider, a little warmer. "Careful when you say nice things like that. I might start wanting to hang out with you more often," she points out.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Yakumo replies quickly.

Aria laughs nervously and shrugs. "Even if you are busy a lot, at least we always have time to hang out at work, right? If I don't show up on Friday and find out I'm fired for missing half the weekend, anyway," she jokes.

The whole situation is surreal to her. She's _fully_ aware that she's flirting, and that he flirted back with her. It's really, really strange. She doesn't flirt with strangers, yet here she is, flirting with Yakumo like she thinks there's actually a chance that anything will come of it. What's more surprising somehow… is how Yakumo is flirting right back. She must be dreaming, or seeing things, because there's absolutely no way something like that would happen to her in reality.

"I wouldn't worry about that," Yakumo reassures her. "Gustav gets it. It takes a lot more than unexpected personal time to get fired from Ichor. Eva covered for you, and Rin's little incident wasn't that big of a deal." He laughs, momentarily amused. "You'll see much worse when spring break rolls around."

Aria smirks. "Sounds fun," she tells him sarcastically.

"Oh definitely," Yakumo agrees in an equally sarcastic tone. After a brief pause, he looks her way again. "Speaking of Ichor, what would you say if I offered to walk you home on weekends?" he asks.

In the face of the conversational whiplash Yakumo just threw at her, all Aria can do is blink. "Well… first, I'd say 'huh?'" she answers with a laugh.

Yakumo laughs, too. "Well… I mean, strength in numbers, right? We could work together and take out any of the vultures or caterpillars that may come our way. If you ask me, we'd make a pretty good pair." He pauses, realization dawning on him, then clears his throat. Suddenly, his cheeks turn as red as a strawberry. "I-in fighting them off, I mean!"

Aria grins. "Well… how could I say no to a suggestion like that?"

Fortunately, neither of them has much of a chance to make things any more awkward than they already are. Aria's phone starts warning her that there are ten minutes left until her next class. After Yakumo tells her that her class is on the third floor, the fourth door on the left, they part ways and go about the rest of their day.

As Aria makes her way up the stairs, she finds herself thinking that maybe she's in _way_ more trouble than she anticipated. Yakumo is charming, attractive, and he seems _really_ nice. Those things, by themselves, aren't a problem. Not even close. But as Aria thinks back to Emily, and the way she'd been so determined to freeze Aria out of the conversation when there was any sign that Yakumo may have been giving Aria attention. She realizes that her chances against a girl like that are slim.

No, not even slim. They're nonexistent.

_It's better that way…_ Aria tells herself. _I probably wouldn't have had much chance with a guy like Yakumo to begin with._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that our take on Emily probably isn't going to be the most popular, but I'm not her biggest fan!
> 
> And here we have the first signs of flirtation between Yakumo and Aria. :3 Rin took a big bullet for her here and she owes him 9,000,000 for it. XD


	9. Rin (V)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis’ chuckle makes Rin’s heart skip a beat. He’s feeling breathless again, and even goes so far as to adjust his binder to compensate for the discomfort, but it’s the sight of Louis’ genuine smile that distracts him the most.
> 
> His feeling of ease turns into panic when he realizes that Louis' full attention is on him. He holds out his hand quietly as though asking for something.
> 
> Rin gulps again. “Wha-what are y-y-you d-doing?” He manages to ask.
> 
> Louis' demeanor doesn’t change. He’s about as calm and relaxed as he’s always been. “May I borrow your phone?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to dub this chapter "The chapter in which Louis is one smooth mofo" because that whole scene was sly AF lmfao. Once again, sorry for the length!!

_ Aria owes me big time,  _ Rin thinks as he nods absentmindedly along with something Emily said. He’s lost count of how many times he’s done this in the last ten minutes he’s spent with her. Taking Emily out of the equation to let Aria and Yakumo have some time alone together was unplanned. The moment he saw the older girl, Rin thought he could drown out the anxiety of coming across Louis on campus by flirting with her. She looked cute at first glance, and Rin  _ assumed  _ she was nice by the way she smiled at Yakumo, but the moment Emily realized what Aria meant to Yakumo, all bets were off.

She was one of  _ those  _ types, the type of person Rin remembers seeing in high school parties. Girls like Emily never gave him the time of day, especially before he started transitioning. Still, she is a familiar sort. Rin knows how to handle girls like Emily, which is why he chose to whisk her away. Now, as he drags Emily through the halls of the English department building in an effort to make the distance between her and Aria larger, Rin thinks this is, by far, the most annoying thing he’s ever done, but he’d gladly do it again if it means keeping Emily away from Aria.

Still, Emily just  _ won’t  _ shut up. It’s his fault, and he knows it. He made the mistake of asking her about Yakumo. Simple questions, like how long have they known each other? What’s their history? What does Yakumo like to do outside of working? Emily seemed like the best person to ask—a regular Yakumo encyclopedia if you will—and he’d been right.  _ Too  _ right.

_ I think I’m in Hell.  _ He mentally grimaces. Physically, he’s nodding and smiling sweetly, pretending to listen to every word that comes out of Emily’s mouth.  _ I have no idea what you’re saying, Emily, but keep talking. _

“Mhm, and for  _ every one  _ of my birthdays, he’s made me a cake. Never Miguel or Riki, never anyone else I know. Well, there’s that  _ Louis  _ guy, but… I doubt they’re as special as the ones he makes for  _ me _ . Because  _ I’m  _ special to him.  _ Really  _ special.” Her tone is pointed and the shrillness of her voice grates on Rin’s ears. He knows exactly what she’s doing by emphasizing those specific words. She  _ wants  _ Rin to pass her message to Aria. She  _ wants  _ Aria to know that Yakumo isn’t Aria’s to claim as if Yakumo is property to even get claimed.

_ Even if I know what she’s like, it doesn’t make this torture any less painful.  _ He mentally sighs. “So Yakumo makes cakes for you  _ and  _ Louis, huh? I wonder why he doesn't make any for Miguel or Riki You three are supposed to be childhood friends though, right?”

“Well,  _ yeah _ , but things have been weird with Yakumo and Riki and Miguel for a while now.” She states plainly. Rin arches an eyebrow, genuine interesting sparking in his eyes. “Ever since Yakumo tried out for the Vein U hockey team with Riki and Miguel, and they made it and he didn't, Yakumo hasn't spent much time with them. He's spent more time with Mr. Bookish Brainiac.” She shrugs. Rin snorts at the nickname. “Yakumo  _ says _ it's just because they're all busy, but he's  _ gotta _ feel jealous about it, you know?”

“Yakumo doesn’t seem like the type to hold a grudge with his friends, though,” Rin says, mulling over her words. “Well, from what little I know of him.”

“I mean, maybe not but… he's  _ gotta _ be jealous.” She scoffs, shrugging and looking over her shoulder in the direction Yakumo and Aria went off in. “ _ I'd _ be jealous. Wouldn't you? If you and that sister of yours were trying out for something together, and she got it and you didn't?”

_ We’re not petty like you are.,  _ is the first thought that pops into Rin’s mind. He presses his lips together thinly, making sure he doesn’t accidentally verbalize what he’s thinking. He gives Emily an appraising once-over before licking his lips and responds: “It happened before, but it didn’t bother me when she succeeded over me.” He shrugs casually. “I guess if I were more insecure, it’d get to me, but Aria’s singing voice is beyond comparison, you know? I can’t be mad for something she was born with.”

Emily hums thoughtfully and for a moment Rin thinks that  _ maybe  _ he’s getting through to her. “So, she’s a  _ singer  _ is she? All Yakumo said was that she worked at the bar with him.” She tries to hide the unimpressed expression as it passes over her face, but Rin still catches it. “I guess I’ll have to stop by and see if she’s any good sometime.”

“You should,” Rin smirks. “She’s amazing. Do  _ you  _ have any talents, Emily?”

She looks thoughtful for a moment. “Well…  _ I'm _ a pretty good singer, too.” She smiles then, wide and proud. 

The little voice in Rin’s head, the one that’s been casually snarking Emily since the start of their conversation, suddenly bursts into laughter. Rin freezes, jerking Emily’s movements. She gives him a dirty look and Rin quickly coughs into his right hand, the one that’s currently not occupied by Emily’s tight grip. He feels bad for laughing, even if its only in his head.

“O-Oh yeah? I’d love to hear you sometime.” He manages to say with a steady face.

A flash of panic passes through Emily’s face, but she quickly hides with a forced smile. “Oh! Uh… well, maybe… maybe another time! We have to get you to your class, right?”

For a moment, Rin contemplates pressing the issue. Emily seems so insistent on downplaying Aria’s abilities. The protective side of him wants nothing more than to turn the tables around on her, but doing so means stooping down to her level, and Rin knew he was better than that.

He huffs out a laugh and nods. “Yeah, thank you, by the way, for showing me to my classroom. It was  _ awfully  _ nice of you.” He lays the word on thick, partially wondering if Emily will pick up on his sarcasm.

She doesn’t, not with the way her smile grows wide and smug. “Like I said, it’s the least I can do as someone who knows the campus. So, tell me more about you, hm? You and your sister are close from what you were telling me.”

Rin doesn’t understand why Emily bothers to keep up a conversation when he’s fully aware she’s rather disinterested in knowing. It dislodges a memory from the back of his mind. The girls he knew back in high school during freshman year were very much the same way.

He shrugs nonchalantly and says, “As close as twins can be.”

She quirks an eyebrow. Rin isn’t sure what it means. “That must be… nice. College is easier with a built-in friend system.” She muses.

“Yeah, it is. I mean, you would know, wouldn’t you? You came to college with your 'built-in' friend system too.” He chuckles humorlessly.

“Well,  _ yeah _ , of course.” She shrugs. Rin tries not to roll his eyes from the hypocrisy of it all. “It's just a little bit different now, with all the… new friends Yakumo's making. He's distanced himself from us a little.”

“I suppose that’s bound to happen. After all, college  _ is  _ the place where you 'figure out who you are.' Maybe Yakumo’s finding himself as he makes new friends. Like with Louis.”  _ And us _ remains unspoken, though Rin suspects he and Aria don’t even register on Emily’s radar. They aren’t so much as Yakumo’s  _ friends  _ but a  _ threat _ if her standoffish behavior toward Aria is any indication.

To Rin’s surprise, Emily’s expression sours. “Ugh. Don’t get me started on  _ that  _ guy,” she says with a roll of her eyes.

They take a flight upstairs, reaching the second floor of the building when Rin pulls them to a stop. His eyebrows disappear into his hairline, stunned by the honesty of Emily’s disgust. He tilts his head curiously, urging the girl to continue.

It takes Emily a moment to realize what she’s done, and when realization dawns on her, Rin watches her disgust morph into shock. She glances around for a moment as if searching for someone. When she doesn’t find who she’s looking for, she leans closer to Rin, keeping her voice low enough that no one outside of their vicinity can hear her. “He’s… you know… one of  _ those _ . Too sweet. Too  _ good _ . There’s got to be  _ something  _ wrong with him.” She presses, brows furrowed.

Rin frowns, unsure of what to feel. “I-isn’t Yakumo sweet too though?”

“Yeah, but  _ I  _ know all the stuff about his past that’s not so good. The stuff that happened that he doesn't like to share. Louis? He doesn’t have any of that. He’s too perfect. It’s creepy.” 

“Have you ever had the chance to hang out with him? Like, with Yakumo, I mean. Since you’re friends.”

Emily chuckles humorlessly. “Nope. Yakumo doesn’t invite me when they hang out for some reason.” She shrugs.

Rin’s frown intensifies. He’s curious, but he knows asking Emily won’t satisfy his curiosity. “That’s surprising to hear,” He says instead.

It must be the wrong thing to say because Emily’s faux smile worms its way back on her lips. She looks more annoyed now than earlier before. “Anyway, we're at your class. It's that room right there.” She gestures across the hall toward an open classroom. “Now, if you'll excuse me, Yakumo and I had plans that we… apparently altered when you and your sister came along, so I've gotta go meet him.”

Rin suppresses a snort, but he releases Emily from his hold with a painfully polite smile. “Oh, yeah. Thanks again for your time. Sorry for talking your ear off. Good luck hunt—I-I mean—enjoy the rest of your day!” Without waiting for Emily’s reply, he turns on his heel and heads into the classroom.   


To his surprise—and utter terror—Rin finds Louis standing by the doorway of his Contemporary Literature class. It takes all of Rin’s willpower to keep from turning around and hightailing it back down stairs. Even if that means coming across Emily again, Rin thinks he’d rather deal with the girl’s obsessive Yakumo talk than figure out why Louis is looking at him with a speculative look.

“Hey,” He greets somewhat distractedly. Rin catches the way Louis looks past him, over his shoulder, as though searching for someone, before settling back on him. The smile he gives is warm, but there’s a hint of  _ something  _ in those dusty red eyes of his that Rin can’t quite make out. “Was that Emily you were with?”

The question catches Rin off guard, though he supposes it really shouldn’t have. Rin had Emily in an arm link. From any other perspective, he can imagine how it must’ve looked. It would make  _ sense  _ for Louis to ask about it even though Rin can’t help but find the question startling.

“Y-yeah,” He answers. He curses himself mentally for the slight stammer. He shoots past Louis, who follows him into the classroom. “Aria and I came across her and Yakumo earlier. She was, uh, helping me find my way to class.” He finds a chair in the second to last row of the classroom, one that’s closest to the window, and drops his book bag on the desk.

He half expects Louis to nod, shoot him a few more questions and then be on his way. Instead, Louis seamlessly takes the empty seat beside Rin’s desk and stares. Rin tries his damndest not to blush under his intense gaze.

“That’s surprisingly generous of her,” He continues. It takes Rin a split second to realize that he’s referring to Emily. “I don’t suppose she was too happy leaving Yakumo alone with Aria.”

Rin snorts. “Oh, so you noticed?”

“Hard not to. She’s not exactly subtle. She hides it well enough from Yakumo, but the moment he isn’t around, her  _ true  _ colors start to show.” 

Rin nods in understanding. He figured as much. It was pretty much the same back in high school with the girls in freshman year. He tries not to dwell too much on the thoughts as he pulls out his notebook. He can still feel Louis’ eyes burning holes into his head.

“You’re looking better,” Louis says casually.

Rin freezes for a millisecond, anxiety pooling into the pit of his stomach. Unwanted images from Saturday flash through his mind’s eye. He shoves them away before they can take hold, and gives Louis what he hopes is a casual, easy-going smile. Naturally, it comes out more like a forced twitch to his lips.

“Y-yeah, the um, your, uh, your thingy—your package— _ fuck _ —your _ care package— _ r-r-really did the trick.” His voice cracks near the end. He coughs and clears his throat. Louis’ lips turn into an amused smile. “The electrolytes. They were, uh, they were good.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Louis finally turns his attention away as he searches for something in his bag. Rin takes the opportunity to exhale soundlessly. His heart is beating a mile a minute and if Louis stares at him one more time with those damning eyes, Rin is going to  _ lose it _ . 

Some of the students begin to filter into the classroom. Rin doesn’t get a chance to catch most of them, still too preoccupied with keeping his breathing steady and his nerves under control, but one person  _ does  _ grab his attention.

Rin barely catches a proper glimpse. With most of his profile obscured by the guy’s black hoodie, and only a sliver of what Rin thinks is dyed magenta hair peeking out from beneath the hood, there’s something about the guy’s body frame that gives Rin the sense he’s seen the guy around before. He sits on the far side of the room, closest to the door, and rests his boots on top of the desk. He’s not paying much attention, and even as he tilts his chair to balance and turns his face their way, Rin  _ still  _ can’t make out who this guy is. He’s wearing sunglasses indoors, of all things. Even being unable to determine who he is, Rin feels his stomach twist. A mixture of fear and rage rises in the back of Rin’s throat like bile.

Rin turns his attention back to Louis, who meets his eyes.

“W-what?” He gulps, throat painfully dry.

Louis blinks, surprised. “N-nothing,” he murmurs, turning away. If Rin didn’t know any better, it almost sounds like Louis is bashful. “Sorry. I got caught up in my head.”

Rin faces forward, his cheeks burning hot. “It’s-it’s okay. I do that all the time. Zone out, I mean. I like to daydream.” He grimaces, snapping his mouth shut.  _ Oh my god Rin, can you shut the fuck up for once?!  _

Louis’ small chuckle catches in Rin’s ears. He hazards a glance toward Louis, but to his relief, Louis isn’t watching him again. Instead, he’s smiling into his notebook.

Before Rin can get another chance to embarrass himself, their professor glides into the classroom on silent feet. She stands before her students, back turned to them, as she carefully rests her work bag on the teacher’s desk. After a few uncomfortable seconds of silence, she finally turns to them slowly. She tilts her head to the side slightly, golden eyes gleaming with distant curiosity. Rin holds his breath, unsure of what to expect. 

She’s really cute in a bimbo sort of way, and as much as Rin hates thinking that of his professor, he can’t help stop the train of thought.

Her golden eyes scan the eerily silent room. Nothing in his expression gives away her thoughts. Rin isn’t sure if he finds that unsettling or surprising. She’s nothing like the teachers he’s had in his life. 

She looks utterly and completely confused.

“What classroom am I in?” She asks airily.

Somewhere in class, someone snorts. Rin gapes, stunned.

_ Oh, I can't  _ wait  _ to tell Aria about this.  _

* * *

After ninety minutes of watching Professor Io bumble around the room like a lost child and losing interest in student introductions, the class is finally over. Rin stays seated in his chair as the rest of his classmates rush out the door, their voices crescendoing into the hall. He catches sight of Mr. Sunglasses-Indoors leaving amongst the crowd. It’s not until Rin knows he’s gone for good does he feel his muscles relax. He hadn’t been aware of tension until then, and Rin finds himself wondering  _ why _ . What is it about the magenta haired boy that bothers Rin so much? What about him makes him so familiar to Rin? Did they know each other? Has Rin seen him on campus before?

Rin sighs. He knows he won’t find any answers to his questions.

He glances to his right and isn’t surprised to see Louis still sitting in his chair, packing up for the day.

“So… that was something.” Rin muses, trying to fill the silence now that they had the classroom all to themselves.

“Yeah, you could say that again.”

“That was something.” Rin grins. 

Louis’ chuckle makes Rin’s heart skip a beat. He’s feeling breathless again, and even goes so far as to adjust his binder to compensate for the discomfort, but it’s the sight of Louis’ genuine smile that distracts him the most.

His feeling of ease turns into panic when he realizes that Louis' full attention is on him. He holds out his hand quietly as though asking for something.

Rin gulps again. “Wha-what are y-y-you d-doing?” He manages to ask.

Louis' demeanor doesn’t change. He’s about as calm and relaxed as he’s always been. “May I borrow your phone?”

“S-s-sure! Just-just give me a second.” Rin hastily fishes his phone out of his pocket and enters the passcode. For a moment, he contemplates deleting his photo library to prevent Louis from seeing something  _ unspeakable _ , but Rin figures it would be too suspicious. Hesitantly, he flashes Louis what he  _ hopes  _ is a charming, yet casual smile as he hands over the unlocked phone. “Here. What do you plan on doing with it?”

Louis takes the phone from Rin and immediately sets out to work. “I’m sending myself a text,” He smirks conspiratory.

“Uh, why? Did you misplace your phone?”

Louis’ phone takes that moment to vibrate in his pocket. He returns the phone to Rin and pulls out his own, wiggling it for Rin to see. “This way I have your number and you have mine. You can reach me any time if you want.” Louis smiles.

“O-oh,” Rin gapes again.  _ Holy shit, that was so smooth _ .

“Do you have another class after this?” 

Rin snaps his mouth shut, dumbfounded by what was happening. “I… I’m… n-no?”

“Would you like to grab a late lunch with me?” Louis asks, dusty red eye somewhat… hopeful?

Was Rin reading that right? Was Louis  _ actually  _ asking  _ him  _ out to lunch?  _ Him _ ?

Rin’s thoughts flatline. He inhales, chokes and starts coughing harshly into his arm. Louis opens his mouth, brows furrowing in worry but Rin holds out a hand as his coughs subside.

“Y-you know what? I-I would  _ love  _ to do that, but today’s the first day of school and I already have _ so  _ much homework to do.” As he speaks, he hurriedly rushes to his feet and makes his way to the door. “M-maybe a raincheck?”

“I’ll hold you to it, Rin.” Louis chuckles. “Next time.”

“Yeah, okay!” Rin squeaks, inching closer to the door. “Bye!” He bolts out of the classroom like a man on fire.

* * *

Rin doesn’t stop running until he reaches the apartment and bursts into the living room with a loud bang. He tosses his bookbag somewhere off to the side, not caring where it lands, and dives headfirst onto the couch. He feels like he’s dying. He’s wheezing for breath and fighting away the black spots that cloud his vision as his lungs desperately try to expand beneath his too-tight binder. He lifts the front of his shirt just high enough to reach the offending piece of cloth and unzips the front. He inhales, long and whistling, the moment his binder comes undone and falls back into the couch cushions. In hindsight, he doesn’t think it was a good idea to run that fast and long in his condition, but the urge to escape from Louis’ penetrating gaze was… compulsive. 

Today is the craziest Monday he’s ever had.

A wave of realization has Rin shooting upward on the couch. He buries his face in his hands and releases a loud groan. 

“ _ Fuck _ , he has my phone number now.”

Before Rin has the chance to delve deeper into what that may mean for him, the front door opens. Rin pulls himself together just in time to catch sight of Aria as she steps into the living room. She’s carrying two cups of coffee and a large grocery bag.

“Sunshiiiine, I'm hoooome!” She calls out, then stops short when she catches sight of him. The bags rustle in her arms as she crosses the room, and she suddenly appears in his periphery. "What's wrong?"

“Nothing,” he sighs tiredly, falling back onto the cushions. “I ran all the way home from my last class, hence why I look like a mess.” He gestures to himself for emphasis. “What did you buy and can I eat it?”

“You ran…  _ why did you do that? _ Are you okay?” Completely ignoring his second question, Aria drops the bag onto the coffee table in front of him and carefully sets aside the coffee. She crouches in front of Rin, sighing. “We should probably look into getting you another inhaler, or a new binder if that one's too tight.”

“Well, technically, I wasn’t  _ supposed  _ to run in in my binder,” Rin says, eyeing the snack bag. “What did you bring?”

“Yes,  _ but _ if you’re getting breathless and wheezy from running again, we need to pinpoint why; whether it's the inhaler or the binder. I don't want you to end up in the hospital again.”

He reaches around her for the grocery bag and pulls it into his lap. “I’m fine, I’m fine. It was an impulse sprint anyway. I was trying to ru—” Rin stops, realizing his mistake. Telling Aria that he was trying to  _ escape  _ from Louis is something he isn’t ready to tackle yet. He hopes she doesn’t catch his slip up, and as he clears his throat, he can already see her eyes narrowing suspiciously. “I had to take the meanest shit, Ari. It’s no big deal.” He cringes. Out of all the excuses he could’ve told her,  _ that  _ is the one he chooses? Seriously?

“Oh, so your stomach is acting up again too?” She queries, quirking a fine eyebrow.

“No, not unusually.”

Aria takes the bag away from him before he can open it. “Well, if there's even a  _ chance _ that your stomach is bugging you, we should probably save these for another day.” She shakes the snack bag for emphasis as she rises from the floor. “ _ And _ that probably means I need to fish out the stomach medicine. You know, the horrible stuff? That tastes like chalk and cabbage?” She turns her back to him and makes way for the kitchen.

Rin’s hand shoots out to her weakly, a childish whine on his lips. “ _ Ari _ , come on! My stomach is fine!”

“Okay,” She whirls around quickly, holding the grocery bag beyond his reach. “If you want some of this reward I bought you for helping me out today, you should  _ probably _ tell me the truth about why you ran home. Because otherwise, it goes into hibernation until those  _ horrible _ tummy problems… you know, the ones that caused you to have to run home so hard your asthma acted up, are gone again.”

“Is this how you treat your baby brother after he took the bullet for you?” Rin pouts dramatically. “Did you forget that I had to deal with  _ Emily  _ just so you could spend some alone time with—” He flutters his lashes and says, in a high pitched, dreamy voice. “— _ Yakumo _ ?”

“Okay, that is  _ not _ why I wanted to thank you.” She huffs. “A shame. If you're gonna pick on me, I'll have to eat all these Doritos and cupcakes and candy  _ all by myself _ .” She takes out a cupcake from inside the grocery bag. Rin’s mouth waters immediately. “If only I had an honest brother to share them with.”

“You’re no fair, you know that?”

“I’m not supposed to be fair. I’m a sister.”

Rin throws himself against the cushions with a theatrical sigh. “Louis is in my Contemporary Literature class,” he confesses.

He watches Aria’s face light up immediately. “Oh! That’s great!” She beams. She finally returns to the living room and offers him a cup from the carrier. “Here, I got you a hot cocoa, too. But go on.” She urges him innocently.

“Thanks,” Rin murmurs, taking the cup. He holds out a lazy hand toward Aria and grabs the air in want. “I want my snacks too.”

“What are you, four?” She grins teasingly. “Get your own snacks.” She walks past him, returning to the kitchen to fix herself something else to eat. She calls out from over her shoulder: “Go ahead, but you have to tell me more. Why did Louis being in your class make you run home?”

Without Aria to grab the snack bag for him, Rin pulls himself back into a sitting position and shoots her a childish pout. He makes sure to groan extra loud when he reaches for the snack bag, just to let her know how  _ laborious  _ the whole thing is for him, and pulls out a bag of Doritos. He rips it open like a wild beast and stuffs a handful into his mouth. He takes a moment to devour his snack before answering her.

“Bold of you to assume it’s because of  _ Louis _ .” He quips. “Maybe I ran home for a different reason, huh? How about that, Ari?”

Aria snorts as she gathers herself a bag of grapes from the fridge. “Because Louis was the first person you mentioned when you stopped trying to lie to me?” She plops into one of the living room chairs and crosses her legs. “So, why did Louis make you run?”

“First of all, I wasn’t lying. Lying implies that I was intentionally creating a fictitious story in order to avoid the truth when the reality is, I was just casually avoiding a topic of conversation.” He sticks his nose up at her. “Secondly, he didn’t  _ make  _ me run.”

“Isn't that exactly what your poop story was? A fictitious story you intentionally—” She stops, picking a grape from the small vine and eating it. She laughs. “Never mind, it's not important. So, why did you run, then? If he ‘didn’t make you’.” She uses air quotes to emphasize how  _ not  _ convinced she is.

Rin feigns offense. He presses a Dorito dusted hand against his chest and scoffs. “The  _ audacity  _ of my sister!” 

Aria shoots him a deadpan look.

“Okay, fine, I’ll tell you but like… don’t be weird about it. Do you promise?”

“When am I ever weird about stuff? Of course I won't.”

Rin has a great number of examples of Aria being “weird about stuff” but he chooses not to divulge any of them. He doesn’t think she’d take kindly to him trying to change the topic again.

“Alright, so…” Rin takes a deep breath. “He gave me his number and asked me out to a late lunch, but I told him I had homework to do, so I turned him down.” He says it all in one breath. The memory of the experience comes rushing back to him and Rin can’t help the awed excitement that fills him. “Seriously though, Ari, you should’ve  _ seen  _ what he did. He was like—” Rin lowers his voice in an attempt to mimic Louis’: “’May I see your phone?’ and I was like—” Rin suddenly leans back into the cushions and rests his arms along the backside of the couch in an effort to replicate how cool and relaxed he wishes he was during the conversation. “‘Yeah, sure, man.’ And then I gave him my phone, right? And he just—” Rin flails his hands around, as though trying to show Aria the insanity of it all. “— _ added his number _ ! Who does that! He was such a smooth criminal about it, Ari. I was kinda-sorta actually probably in a very small way, just a smidge, impressed.”

Aria’s smile is somewhat subdued, but she looks pleased all the same. There’s something unreadable in her expression that Rin can’t quite make out. He’s not sure if he really likes whatever may be going on in her head.

“I told you he was nice.” She states plainly. “Why did you say no to going to lunch with him? I know you better than to think you would ever use homework as an actual excuse for something like that.”

Rin shrugs half-heartedly. “It sounded a lot like a date and I didn’t want to give him the wrong idea, you know?” Suddenly nervous, Rin plays around with a loose thread on one of the couch cushions. “Like, no homo or anything, he’s a good looking guy, but… you know? That’s kinda weird, don’t you think? Because I’m a guy too.” He gives her a searching gaze.

Aria’s pleased smile wilts. “No? Not even a little weird, actually.”

“I figured you’d say that,” He murmurs, looking away. 

“Yeah, of course, I did.” Her tone is gentle but no less resolute or certain. There's also a hint of sadness Rin can sense in her words. “Friends go out and do stuff all the time. I mean, if like… Coco goes out to lunch with female friends all the time. Even before she started dating Carmilla. So, there's nothing weird about two male friends going out to lunch, Sunshine.”

Rin’s fidgeting intensifies. He buries a hand into the Dorito bag and pulls out a handful of chips. Instead of stuffing his face, he picks them off one by one.

“I guess,” He murmurs eventually. After a few tense moments of silence, he finally turns his gaze toward her. “How’d the extra time with Yakumo pan out?”

It’s Aria’s turn to break eye contact. She frowns into her bag of grapes and plucks one from the vine carefully. “It was okay. We talked.” She shrugs. “Not sure what you expected to happen.” She laughs awkwardly. 

“Did you guys get to  _ talk  _ at least? Like, 'get to know each other' kinda talk. Not just—” In his high pitched Aria voice: “‘How’s the weather up there, Yakumo?’” —Rin dramatically lowers his voice, making it deeper and more unnatural than his Louis voice: “‘bout the same as always, Aria.’ You know what I mean?” He crunches on a chip loudly. 

Aria flicks a grape at Rin. It hits him squarely in the chest and rolls onto the floor. “Butthead,” She smirks, but it doesn’t last long. “A little, I guess? He has this weird impression of me… that I'm confident all the time.” She chuckles bitterly. “Probably because he hasn't seen me when I'm not. Thankfully.”

Rin plucks the grape from the floor and sets it on the table. “Give it time. He’ll figure out that you snore really loudly soon enough. Also, that Emily chick is fucking psycho. I think if you’re planning on riding Yakumo’s dick, you’re gonna have to defeat her.”

“ _ Oh my god, Rin _ . I'm not going to… no. I think…” She shakes her head. “I think if they're  _ not _ together now, he's… probably at least  _ somewhat _ into her. Right? So… I'm not gonna. Even if I  _ was _ interested in him—which I'm  _ not _ b-t-w—I'm not gonna ruin someone else's chance.” She eats another grape. “I've been that girl before. Wouldn't want to put someone else through it.” She clears her throat and shakes the dismal tone away. “And you snore way louder than me on my worst day.” She sticks her tongue out.

“I doubt it from the stories she told me, but it’s not my place to infer the intentions of others.” He shrugs. “She did give me some cool Yakumo fun facts if you’re curious though. Also, I don’t snore.”

Aria’s interest is piqued, and Rin finds it funny how she tries to downplay it in front of him. “The stories she told you?” she parrots.

Rin smirks coyly. “Mhmm~ would you like to know, my dear sweet Ari?”

“I mean.... I’m not  _ desperate  _ to know anything… but… kinda? She seems like she really cares about him.”

_ Caring isn’t the term I’d use for her, sis.  _ Rin muses darkly. “Apparently, Yakumo tried out for the university’s hockey team,” he says instead.

“A jock, huh? I'm not surprised.” She chuckles but pauses. “Though, he  _ is _ a lot nicer than most of the jocks we have experience with. So, he tried out? Why isn't he a student, then?”

“According to Booby McGrabby hands, he didn’t get accepted, apparently. His friends did, he didn’t. Emily thinks Yakumo is jealous about it. Also, she doesn’t like Louis, which is a shock.”

“I doubt he's jealous. He doesn't seem like the type.” Aria muses then recoils in surprise as realization dawns on her. “Wait, she doesn't like Louis? Like… Louis-Louis?  _ Our _ Louis? Nicest guy in the  _ world _ Louis?”

Rin nods. “Yeah. She says he’s  _ too  _ sweet. She thinks he’s creepy because of it. Also,  _ apparently  _ Yakumo doesn’t invite her anywhere if he’s hanging out with Louis. I wonder why.” He smirks.

Aria’s eyebrows disappear into her hair. “Wait… really? But why? They're friends. Just because she doesn't like Louis? Why wouldn't he invite his girlfriend along? Or… whatever they are.”

“Emily is  _ not  _ his girlfriend,” Rin states flatly. “I’m not sure where you got  _ that  _ impression from, but they’re definitely not dating.”

“Okay, his fuckbuddy, then. LIke I said, whatever they are.”

Internally, Rin grimaces. He knows what she’s doing. He’s seen her do it countless times before in the past, but calling her out on it will make him a hypocrite and possibly steer the conversation into a territory he isn’t ready to face yet. Instead, Rin sighs. This is a topic he needs to handle with care. A part of him feels sad that Aria is willing to convince herself that a person like Emily had any chance with a guy like Yakumo, especially when it's pretty clear to Rin that Emily is nowhere  _ near  _ Yakumo’s radar.

“They’re not fuckbuddies either, Ari,” he tells her gently yet sternly. He stares into his Dorito bag, his brows furrowed. He contemplates taking another chip, but ultimately decides against it. He closes the bag. “I’m gonna keep it real with you, Ari. I’m almost positive Emily has a crush on Yakumo or some weird obsession about him. But, from the few times I’ve seen Yakumo—the way he acts around her and the way he acts around you—I don’t think you have anything to worry about. I know I said it wasn’t my place to infer other people’s emotions but, I’m pretty fucking sure Emily doesn’t register on Yakumo’s radar.”

For a second, Aria almost looks pleased, but she shakes it off quickly. “That's… surprising. She's pretty, and they've known each other for a really long time. And… they seem like the same, you know…  _ type _ of person. Like they'd match up well.” She laughs, with no shortage of bitterness.

Rin shrugs, unsure of what to tell her. Of what’s safe enough to tell her. “You won’t know the truth until you get to know him better,” He says instead.

“That’s…” For a moment, Aria looks contemplative. Rin can’t keep the hope from bubbling in his chest, until she shakes her head and says, “That's a bad idea.”

Rin snorts, grinning. “When did we ever have any good ideas, Aria? Running away was a bad idea, but look how that turned out.” He gestures openly to the living room as if to prove his point. “I’d say it was well worth the risk, don’t you think?”

With a great deal of trepidation still on her face, Aria says, “How about this, then… I'll make you a deal.” She meets Rin’s eyes levelly. The seriousness in her gaze makes him nervous. “You stop trying to resist the friendship with Louis—get to know him, be his friend—and I'll… I'll take a chance and get to know Yakumo better. I think that's fair.”

Rin swallows thickly. “Fine. But, I’ll only accept if  _ you  _ take the initiative with Yakumo. And keep me posted. Deal?” He holds out his hand toward her.

Rin can see the flash of nervousness that crosses Aria’s face, but she extends her hand out to him and grasps it tightly. 

“I mean, I don't know what you expect to happen. Just because Emily's 'not on his radar' doesn't mean I am. But okay. Deal.” They shake on it, their touch lingering for a few minutes longer before Aria pulls away. 

Rin smiles genuinely, feeling relieved. “I think he’d be good for you. And I love to see you be happy.”

“Okay, but I'm not into him, so like I said… I don't know what you expect to happen.”

“That you make a friend?” he teases, fluttering his lashes innocently.

Aria flicks another grape at him. “You’re lucky I love you.”

“I know. I’m very lucky indeed.” He laughs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Louis, please contain yourself. You're going to kill Rin with your uncontrolled sex appeal.


	10. Aria (V)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Remind me of this next time I think I have good ideas," Aria tells him, before flopping backward onto his bed and staring at the ceiling.
> 
> Rin huffs a humorless laugh. "Oh, trust me, I won't let you live this moment down."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If last chapter was 'the one where Louis was smooth' then this one was 'the one where the twins are more of a disaster than usual.' XD

After a chaotic Monday, the run-of-the-mill Tuesday Aria's experienced so far has been a nice change.

Well, maybe run-of-the-mill isn't exactly the best way to describe it. Everything happening around her, all the new and exciting changes in her life, have made even the normal days feel spectacular. For example, band practice. Aria can't believe that she's a member of a _band_ now. She sings, with a band, in front of a crowd. There are people in the world—aside from Rin—who want to listen to her sing, and the fact that she isn't being dismissed as 'just another dreamer' when she sings is crazy to her.

Daryl and the others seem to think she's something special onstage. At today's practice, they spent half the time practicing with Eva and half the time practicing with her, and frankly, Aria doesn't understand why they think she's the special one when Eva has that amazing, mezzo-soprano voice that carries _forever_, even without a microphone.

She can't deny that the validation she feels from having people tell her that she sounds good. That she's a good fit for something. She's only really performed in front of a crowd once, but that tiny bit of validation has done her confidence wonders. So much so that as she walks home from band practice, she once again finds herself singing, dancing, and twirling around as she makes her way down the street.

"_You've already won me over in spite of me, and don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet_." She twirls her skirt out as she closes her eyes and sings to the sky. "_And don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are. I couldn't help it, it's all your—_"

"Aria?"

For the second time in as many weeks, she's interrupted in the middle of a foolish song and dance by a voice calling out to her. This time, the voice is familiar. Too familiar. It's instantly recognizable as she walks the otherwise-empty street toward her apartment.

"Yakumo!" she replies as soon as his voice hits her ear.

As she turns, her legs get caught in her skirt. She tries to overcorrect, but it isn't long before she's tumbling to the pavement, bracing herself with her hands to ensure she doesn't hit her face. She curses under her breath, then turns to look up and is doubly humiliated when she spots not only Yakumo, but Louis as well, both watching her with concerned eyes.

With a sheepish laugh, Aria waves at them. "Uh… hey Yakumo, hey Louis. What're you guys up to?" She pushes herself to a seated position as she tries to collect the remnants of her pride.

Louis is the first to answer. "We were just on our way back from dinner," he tells her. "Are you alright?

Offering his hand down to help her up, Yakumo remarks, "That was quite a spill."

Aria accepts Yakumo's offered hand, but with the relative ease he uses to pull her to her feet, she almost crashes face-first into his chest. She manages to stop herself by planting her feet onto the ground, thankfully. The last thing she wants is to somehow make whatever weird interest she has in him anymore obvious than she already has.

With a self-deprecating smile, Aria shrugs. "Oh yeah. I don't know if you guys have noticed, but we Freys were born with something called the Klutz Gene. It only seems to act up at the least opportune moments, and its only purpose is to make us look like idiots," she muses.

Yakumo's responding laugh has no right being as warm as it is. "As a fifty-percent shareholder in Klutz Incorporated, I completely understand," he offers in return. "Seems like the only one among us with any grace whatsoever is Louis."

Aria laughs, too. "Poor Louis, doomed to be the only swan in a field of waddling geese," she teases.

"I suppose someone needs to be," Louis replies with an amused smirk. "Otherwise, how would any of you survive."

Laughing once more, Aria places a hand on her chest in faux-surprise. "And so _humble_, too!" she gasps, then turns on Louis with a teasing wink. "He's a lucky boy, the one who manages to snag your attention."

All Louis does in reply is cough into his fist. Aria doesn't miss the dusting of red which makes its way across the apples of his cheeks.

Yakumo grins. "Wow. Our suave, debonair friend has absolutely no response. It takes a special kind of wit to best him in conversation, Aria. Well done," he says with a laugh, and gently nudges Aria in the shoulder.

With a playful, confident smile, Aria finds herself hamming it up and slipping into a phony-baloney English accent. "I believe you will come to find that I am a _font_ of wit and clever comebacks, good sirs," she tells them proudly, quickly dropping the fake accent and shrugging. "I just so happened to choose Louis as today's target. You'd better watch out, Yakumo. You're next."

The smile on Yakumo's face is bright. It's too bright. It's gorgeous. Aria has never seen anything like it before. It morphs into a grin quickly, and he turns toward Louis, raising his hand in a feeble fake effort to shield his lips from Aria's view. Feeble, because he purposely placed his hand on the opposite side of his mouth and ended up shielding absolutely nothing.

"That terrifies me way more than it has any right to," Yakumo whispers. "Are you still intact? Do I have reason to be terrified?"

Louis grins slyly. "I'll say you do."

In an instant, the pretense is dropped, and Yakumo looks at Louis incredulously. "Dude!" he scoffs.

Aria is confused as Louis simply shrugs in a nonchalant, noncommittal reply. The sly grin remains on his face as he turns his attention from Yakumo to Aria.

"I feel like I'm missing some context here, but that's okay," Aria shrugs. "I'm sure the bond between bro dudes is so sacred and strong that a simple female such as I could not possibly understand." She smirks just as slyly as Louis, silently indicating that Yakumo is, in fact, next and it's his turn now.

Yakumo laughs. "Wow. So _this_ is how it feels when your best friend betrays you and your… your _new_ friend puts you in the spotlight?" He hums thoughtfully, tapping his chin with his finger and pretending to be dramatic. "Nope, can't say I'm a fan."

"Sorry, it's a risk you take when you run with Aria Frey," she shrugs nonchalantly.

Smirking wryly, Yakumo crosses his arms gently over his chest. "Who is apparently so cool that she talks about herself in the third person."

With a cheeky smile—one reminiscent of Rin's brattiest smile—on her face, she holds her fists up and punches the air twice. "Only when she's feeling particularly sassy and vivacious," she confirms with a resolute nod, then looks from Yakumo to Louis. "So, you know… it occurs to me. I still owe both of you a pretty big favor for everything you did for Rin and me last weekend.”

Louis shakes his head. "It was no trouble at all, Aria," he insists. "You don't owe us any favors."

"Yeah, it's not like we did anything special," Yakumo agrees.

Aria places her hand on her chest dramatically once again. "Au contraire, my friends!" She pauses, then turns to look at Louis. "Is that the word I'm looking for? Au contraire?"

Louis nods, still grinning.

"Cool," Aria confirms under her breath, then continues, undaunted, like her uncertainty didn't ruin the whole confident tone of her speech. "Au contraire, my friends. You did do something special, and we do owe you favors. Or, a favor, anyway."

_What am I doing? What am I doing and why am I doing it? This is the worst idea imaginable. The literal worst idea. There's no way possible it can end well, and yet—_

And yet her brain won't let her stop. "Do you guys have dinner plans tomorrow?" she asks.

"Don't think so," Yakumo answers. Aria has to be imagining the look of eager hope she sees in his eyes. "I was probably gonna order a pizza or something."

Louis, on the other hand, actually _does_ look hopeful. He perks up eagerly, but shakes his head. "I don't have any plans," he tells her.

Another war wages in Aria's mind and heart. She knows that there's no way this can end well. They'll laugh in her face, and when that happens, there go two good friendships for both twins, completely out the window because Aria's mind thought for a split second that she had good ideas. Even her mind is cursing her out, telling her to make up some excuse or something, to lie, but her heart fights it, tells her that it'll be okay. That Louis and Yakumo aren't that type of people, to abandon her—or, more importantly, Rin—just because things aren't easy.

Ultimately, her heart wins out. "Now, the _real_ question," she holds her index finger up, before lifting her hand and stage whispering to both of them. "Are you brave enough to come over to our apartment for dinner?"

Both of them are quiet for a torturous second, but it's Yakumo who breaks the silence. "Well, I _have_ heard rave reviews about your cooking," he confirms, then taps his chin again, thinking about it dramatically. "I dunno, what do you think, Louis?"

Louis stuffs his hands into his pants pockets and turns to look at Aria. "I think the better question, Aria, is whether or not _you_ can handle having both Yakumo and I under your roof again," he adds with a subtle smirk. "Rin seems to enjoy bolting at the sight of me, after all."

"I heard about that," Aria chuckles humorlessly. "The whole… lunch thing. He can't very well bolt from his own apartment, though. Not unless he wants to spend the money to take a bus back to Coco's place. Once he tried to tell Coco why he was there, she'd throw him on the bus and send him back, so I highly doubt he'll bolt this time."

_What are you doing?_ Aria's brain taunts. _You had an out, why didn't you take it? Now they're gonna say yes and you'll have to—_

Yakumo interrupts her mental tirade. "Besides, if Aria's there, I doubt she'll let him bolt," he supplies.

"Safe bet," Aria smirks in spite of herself. "So, to answer your question, Mr. Amamiya, I can handle pretty much anything. Having you two over for dinner would be a breeze."

Louis' expression is level, casual, unreadable, as he nods at Aria. "Then it's a date."

Yakumo makes a noise that sounds like nothing Aria has ever heard before. Aria thinks it might be an expression of curiosity, or maybe disbelief, but she isn't sure. Aria understands, though, because while she's putting on a cool front, the thought of it being a date, even though she knows Louis meant it colloquially, is way more than she was prepared for. She keeps her cool much better than Yakumo did, as she flashes Louis an attempt at a smile.

"7:00?" Aria croaks.

Louis nods. "We'll be there."

It seems like Yakumo is barely managing to blink and breathe at the same time, but he manages to stammer, "Uh… y-yeah. 7:00."

The laugh Aria gives is frantic, but she tries to keep herself calm. "Awesome. N-now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get home and make _tonight's_ dinner. Rin's probably about to stage a riot because he's starving." Her laugh sounds more like a crazy woman than anything else, and she immediately wants to stuff it back inside.

As soon as the three of them say goodbye, Aria hurries toward her apartment. Suddenly, she completely understands why Rin's immediate instinct is to run from these kinds of situations, because the only thing keeping her from running is the fact that she doesn't want to look like a complete and total fool in front of Louis and Yakumo.

Instead, she simply walks a little faster than usual, and her brain mocks her for her terrible decision making the whole way home.

~

Aria's amethyst hair disappears into the distance, and Yakumo turns his head to Louis, staring at him incredulously. There are so many things Yakumo wants to say, so many things he wants to ask. First of all, what the hell was Louis thinking saying date in a situation like this? Second of all, why did Aria react like she had?

Third of all… he wants to do anything but stand here and look like a grade A moron, opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish in a bowl, but he can't bring himself to do it. His expression is still incredulous, but his mind can't seem to land on the words to match it.

A date. A date with Aria. Yakumo knows that isn't how Louis meant it. He meant it casually, conversationally, not like a big deal, but Yakumo still can't help but think of what it would be like if Aria did think it was a date. An actual date, with Aria. Amazing, gorgeous, _cool_ Aria, who Yakumo definitely feels some sort of attraction to. A date with her would be… beyond his wildest dreams.

If the way she practically ran off is any indication, though… she doesn't think the same.

"What're you… what were you—" Yakumo finally manages to speak, but none of it is intelligible. "Wh-what…"

Louis tilts his head curiously, innocently. Too innocently. "Hm? What's wrong?"

At first, all Yakumo can do is stare, slack-jawed, at Louis. Then, he turns to look toward the twins' apartment. "A date? You called it a date!" he answers frantically. "What if she thinks it's a date?"

With that same fake innocence in his gaze, Louis asks, "What's wrong with that?"

"Well, for starters, it's not a date? It's just dinner," Yakumo points out incredulously. "Second of all, you and Rin will both be there. Third of all, you _know_ what always happens to me the second you throw the word date into the equation."

For some reason, every time the word 'date' is thrown into the equation when it involves Yakumo, everything changes. Things go from smooth, easy, comfortable like they are with Aria, to… something else entirely. Sure, they're great at first. The first dates are always pretty successful. For some reason, though, Yakumo can never manage to get a second date, no matter how well the first goes.

Yakumo thinks of Aria, of that bright smile, those gorgeous eyes, the way she laughs. If things change like that with her? If she suddenly doesn't want to be around him anymore, just because of whatever curse keeps him from getting second dates?

Well, he doesn't think he'll be able to bounce back from this one like he does with all the others.

Louis speaks up and snaps him from his thoughts. "I figured with Rin and I being there, you'd be fine," he offers with a know-it-all grin. "Besides… think of this as the first official step."

"Step?" Yakumo asks, turning to look in the direction Aria disappeared in again.

With a hum of agreement, Louis continues. "Toward asking her out, as I know you want to do."

At first, all Yakumo can do is chuckle awkwardly and rub the back of his neck. "I do," he admits. "But… she's fun, you know? She's cool, and she's smart, and we get along great. I think we could be great friends. I just…" He pauses and laughs bitterly. "I don't want to screw it up like I always do somehow when you throw dating into the mix."

Louis' gaze is gentle as he nods. "I understand that's always a risk, but… you'll regret it even more if you don't give it a try," he points out.

It _is_ a risk, Louis is right about that. God, if he did it and it worked out, though? If Yakumo is somehow lucky enough to keep Aria's attention? To see that smile directed at him every day, to be the one to make her laugh and know she felt the same way he does? That would be the best thing to ever happen to Yakumo.

"I dunno, I'll think about it," he tells Louis. That, he can certainly promise. He gestures toward Louis' apartment, wordlessly suggesting they head in that direction again. "What about you, and Rin?"

As they slowly start making their way toward Louis' place, Louis answers in a quiet voice. "It's a slow process," he admits.

Yakumo smiles warmly. "I can tell you're really into him, though. Never seen you like this before, about anyone." A lot of people were interested in Louis, but Louis was never quite interested in return. Not until Rin. "So quickly, too. I can't say I'm surprised, though. He's definitely your type."

“I wasn’t aware that I had a type,” Louis muses.

Laughing, Yakumo shrugs. "Artsy. Smart, but they hide it behind layers of disaster. Like Cruz did," he smirks.

Louis stops briefly, but continues moving forward. He chuckles lightly. “I didn’t think there would be a day where I could laugh about that. I guess you’re right. There’s just… something about him…” He glances toward Yakumo, his lips quirked into a soft smile. “I want to figure him out.”

"Figure him out," Yakumo chuckles. "Way to make him sound like a science project or a robot, dude. But I'm glad. You deserve him. He deserves you. You both deserve to be happy."

Louis puffs out a laugh. “I probably shouldn’t phrase it that way. I just meant that he’s special.”

"It's okay, I understood what you meant," Yakumo reassures him. "If anyone can get past his barriers, if anyone's strong enough to take that risk, it's the most patient damn person I've ever met in my life." He chuckles and shoves Louis gently in the shoulder.

“Thank you, Yakumo,” Louis smiles genuinely. “He’s worth the risk.”

It's Yakumo's turn to stop in his tracks. He smirks at Louis and chuckles softly. "'He's worth the risk,' huh? Not something I ever thought I'd hear _you_, of _all_ people, say." He starts walking again, easily closing the distance between himself and Louis. "There _must_ be something about him. If you can manage to work past… whatever's got him scared? I think you guys make a great match."

Louis' expression doesn't change from his genuine smile. "Thank you. I really appreciate it," he says.

Behind that genuine smile, Yakumo can see the barest level of sheepishness, and it makes Yakumo grin in spite of his own worries. Louis is more invested in Rin than he's been in anyone in a long time, and it's nice to see. As far as Louis is concerned, Rin is a perfect match for him. His lighthearted personality—at least the one that hides the anxiety he's shown around Louis—is exactly what Louis needs to lighten up. Louis isn't boring, not by any stretch of the imagination, but he definitely needs help relaxing.

Yakumo's grin grows. "I hear you've been writing again," he points out.

With a dark flush spreading across his cheeks, Louis arches an eyebrow. "Where'd you hear that from?" he asks.

"Karen," Yakumo answers simply. "She told me while you were in the bathroom at the restaurant tonight. I probably would've figured it out on my own eventually, though. Creative Louis always seems happier than writer's block Louis."

Louis laughs softly. "So that's my tell, is it?" he asks, then nods nonchalantly. "I've been having waves of inspiration lately."

"Good," Yakumo replies simply.

There's more on the tip of his tongue, a question about whether or not the surge of creativity is because of Rin, and if he can see anything Louis has written, but before he gets a chance to ask, Louis speaks up again. "What about you? Should I thank Aria for the happier Yakumo I've been seeing lately?"

It's funny, how Louis just answered one of his unasked questions, but any amusement he feels is immediately overridden by confusion. "Maybe?" he laughs awkwardly. "Have I really been different? I haven't noticed."

Louis nods. "It's subtle, but noticeable to those of us who know you best," he tells Yakumo as he pulls his keys from his pocket.

"Now that you mention it, Emily did say something about me acting different after she met Aria yesterday," Yakumo says with a thoughtful hum as he glances back toward the twins' apartment.

According to Emily, Yakumo had ignored her in favor of the twins. When they'd met up again after Yakumo dropped Aria off, and Emily led Rin to his class, she'd spent the next twenty minutes or so asking Yakumo questions about Aria, and how well he knew her. She'd accused him of focusing too much of his attention on Aria during their conversation, and being ready to abandon her in favor of them.

Yakumo frowns at the memory. Everything about it just rubbed him the wrong way. Not only were her accusations baseless and unfair, but the way she'd talked about Aria when Aria wasn't there to defend herself was… troubling, too.

"She didn't seem to think it was a good change," Yakumo continues dismally.

When Louis responds with a frown and a derisive laugh, Yakumo turns to look at him in surprise. "No, I don't suppose she would, would she?" he asks rhetorically, as he unlocks the door to let Yakumo in. "I saw her with Rin during transition yesterday."

Confusion furrows Yakumo's brow as he follows Louis in, closes the door, and then shucks his coat. "Yeah, we ran into them on our way to lunch," he explains. "She seemed… really interested in him. It was weird, for her. Rin asked her to guide him to class. There was… some weird tension in the conversation, but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from."

Louis' frown deepens. "Interested in what way?" he asks as he walks to the kitchen.

"She kept talking to him, asking him questions about himself," Yakumo explained with an awkward chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck and staring at Louis' coffee table. "She wouldn't let Aria get a word in edgewise for most of the conversation. Seemed really disinterested whenever Aria talked, too. Even interrupted her once, which isn't very… Emily. You know?"

As Louis returns to the living room with a couple of empty cups, he shrugs. "I'm not surprised," he explains as he turns back to the kitchen. "Do you want water or tea?"

Yakumo watches Louis' face carefully. "Water's fine, thanks," he answers, then tilts his head curiously. "Why aren't you surprised?"

"Emily feels threatened whenever you make new friends, Yakumo," Louis points out as he returns to the living room with a pitcher of water and pours some into each cup.

A frown curls Yakumo's lips downward, and his brow furrows in annoyance. "She shouldn't," he mutters as he drifts through his thoughts. "I've been friends with her for ages. She should know that I'm not the type to abandon one friend in favor of another…"

Louis lifts his cup and takes a slow sip of water. "She may not see it that way, especially with what happened between you, Riki, and Miguel. You were all close as kids. The transition is probably hard on her." After a long pause, Louis adds, "Among other things."

Yakumo pauses with the cup against his lips, then turns to look at Louis curiously. "Other things?" he asks.

Once again, silence falls over Louis' apartment. Louis looks pensive, maybe a little sad, as he sips his water quietly. Yakumo isn't sure what brought the sudden silence on, but he gives Louis a curious eyebrow raise in the face of it.

"You're about to tell me something I don't want to hear, aren't you?" Yakumo asks.

Louis doesn't answer the question. Instead, he launches right into his explanation. "Yakumo, are you aware that Emily isn't very fond of me? That she's not fond of _any_ of your friends who aren't Riki and Miguel?"

"Wait… seriously? All she's ever said to me is that she thinks you're… weird." Yakumo frowns, because he remembers getting frustrated with Emily when she said that. The look on her face was remorseless when she said it, though. Like she felt like she was delivering vital information to Yakumo. "But she hasn't said anything beyond that. How can she not like you? She doesn't even _know_ you."

"She doesn’t care to know me. She only cares for one person and anyone who steps in the way of that is a threat." The frown on Louis' face draws deeper as he continues. "I understand my words won’t be enough, especially not for a friendship as long as what you have with Emily, so I suggest asking her when you have the time. Watch her expressions. Her eyes tell you more than anything else. But more than that, I’m worried she’ll chase the twins away. I don’t think… that’s something they can handle right now."

Louis drinks the last of his water and gestures toward the clock. "It's getting late. You can crash here again, if you need to." He takes his cup to the kitchen, rinses it off then heads for his bedroom.

Yakumo stands before Louis disappears completely. "Wait a sec," he calls out. "Sorry, I just… you… you said she sees 'anyone who steps in as a threat.' So… this has been going on for awhile?"

_Why haven't I noticed? Who else has she chased away?_

"Maybe," Louis shrugs. "I can only tell you what I've experienced. You'll have to find the rest for yourself… but I do know one thing. Emily sees the twins as a threat." He pauses, and the frown on his face deepens even more. "No. She might only see one twin as a threat."

It's Yakumo's turn to frown, and he does, thoughts of the way she'd practically chased Aria from the conversation yesterday enter his mind. "I guess that'd explain why she wouldn't let Aria get a word in edgewise," he murmurs. "Sorry. You… you can go to bed. This whole thing just… took me off guard."

Louis nods in understanding. "It's okay. It's not your fault. Stuff like this isn't easy to see. If anything, _I'm_ sorry for being the one who had to tell you," he admits sadly.

Yakumo shakes his head. "Someone had to, especially if it's apparently been going on under my nose for the past… however long. I appreciate you being honest with me," he tells Louis.

"Of course," Louis answers, but he still looks somber. "Good night, Yakumo."

With a nod, Yakumo waves goodnight to Louis, then sits down on the couch, staring up at the ceiling in the dimly lit living room. He rests his head on the arm of the couch and thinks back on his more fleeting friendships in the past. People came and went from his life for as long as he could remember. Some stayed longer than others, like Riki and Miguel, and more recently Louis, but the people who'd disappeared in the past… had they been chased away by Emily?

Now, it seems like she's trying to chase the twins away, too. No. Yakumo decides that he can't let that happen. The twins need his friendship, and he wants theirs just as much. As he settles in to sleep on Louis' couch, he thinks about Aria's smile. No matter what he has to do, he promises to do what he can to keep her smiling like that as long as possible.

~

By the time Aria gets home, she's in full-blown panic mode, thinking of everything she has to do in order to prepare for tomorrow's sudden plans. She has to clean the living room. She has to figure out what to cook for four people. She has to come up with something the four of them can do when dinner is full so that the room won't fall into silence and they won't seem like an awkward disaster in front of these two potential friends.

Most importantly, and perhaps most daunting, she has to tell Rin.

The thought of telling Rin about what she did is the most terrifying part of this whole situation. What was she thinking? Why… _how_ did she think it was a good idea to invite both of them to come over for dinner at the same time? Cooking isn't the daunting part of the task. She can cook for four without breaking a sweat. It's… coming up with something to wear, keeping the apartment clean long enough, everything _else_ that's daunting to her. So daunting, in fact, that she drops her keys no fewer than three times as she tries to unlock the door.

Gathering her keys from the porch a fourth time, she lifts them and slides them into the lock, twisting it and turning the knob, only to realize that the door was already unlocked and she'd just locked it on herself. Aria scoffs and twists the key again, unlocking the door and pulling it open.

As soon as she's inside, she closes the door and leans against it. She casts her eyes to the ceiling, without even bothering to see if she was alone in the room. "What the _hell_ was I thinking?"

Rin's voice jumps her practically out of her skin. "Nothing, _clearly_," he replies. "Welcome home."

Aria turns to look at her brother, not even bothering to mask the horror on her face. He isn't even looking, so it doesn't really matter if she does or not. Instead, he sits casually on the couch with his sketchpad in his lap.

"H-hi, Sunshine," Aria finally replies, but she immediately wishes she could push the words back in. She's wearing her nerves on her face as clear as the midday sun. Once she stammers her greeting out, she hurries to the kitchen to start preparing dinner. "Ugh, I'm such a moron!" she seethes under her breath.

Rin doesn't even pick his head up from his sketchpad when he asks, "What'd you do?"

Initially, she's tempted not to answer. She gathers her step-stool and starts searching the high cabinets for something to cook, eventually settling on chicken and dumplings. She needs some comfort food tonight. "Oh, you know me. Classic Aria. The most stupid, moronic, idiotic, dumb, stupid thing I possibly could have done, as per usual," she huffs as she gets into the freezer for some chicken.

With a soft chuckle from the couch, Rin muses, "I'm sure it's not so bad. You're probably being overdramatic, but you should still tell me what you did."

"You'll be mad at me," is all Aria says in response.

Rin shakes his head, but still doesn't look at her. "No I won't. I'm sure it's not that bad."

Aria laughs bitterly. "Oh, it is. It's totally stupid and you got super mad at me when I did _half_ of the thing I did today by _accident_. But I did it on _purpose_ this time, _apparently_, because my brain can't catch my mouth before it spouts off the stupidest idea possible," she says with a scoff as she puts the chicken on a plate to defrost in the microwave.

Without lifting his head, Rin chuckles again. "Ari, I've done a lot of stupid stuff that you've forgiven me for. I'm sure what you did today can't be as bad as you're making it sound," he reassures her. "Remember, I got drunk on the second day of your new job and embarrassed you. What could you possibly have done that's worse than that?"

Sighing, Aria turns away from him, not wanting to see the look on his face when he gets mad at her. "Let's see if you still feel that way tomorrow," she tells him, laughing self-deprecatingly. "When, you know, Louis and Yakumo come over for dinner. Because… that's what I did. Invited them. For dinner. Tomorrow night. Here. Me cooking. All four of us eating."

"That's a funny joke, Ari," Rin says with a laugh from the couch.

Aria frowns. "The only joke is my stupid brain for somehow deciding it was a good idea," she adds with a huff as she pulls the makings for dumplings down from the cabinets.

It seems like Rin still doesn't believe her, which makes this ten times harder than it has to be. "So, are going to tell me what you really did or do I have to guess?" he asks, still chuckling.

"Rin."

Finally, Rin turns to look at her, with an amused smile on his face. "What?" he asks.

Aria looks him dead in the eye, not bothering to hide the panic on her face so Rin can see how serious a matter this is. "I'm not kidding. God, I _wish_ I was."

It doesn't take a genius to identify the moment Rin's smile goes from genuine to fake. His eyes harden slightly, his lips become tense, and his hands grip his sketchbook tighter, too. "Oh…" he says, closing his sketchbook. "_Oh_," he continues, rising from the couch and tucking his sketchbook under his arm. It doesn't escape Aria's notice, the way he starts heading for the staircase.

"Okay, that's great," he continues. "_Wonderful_. That's great to hear, Ari. I'm just gonna—" Without another word, Rin bolts up the stairs, screaming bloody murder. Aria hears his door slam shut all the way from the kitchen.

She glances at the timer on the microwave, and decides to give up on cooking for now, to go upstairs and make sure Rin isn't too mad at her. She won't be able to focus properly until she knows for sure. She takes the chicken out, covers it with the top of the Tupperware container, and stores it in the fridge, before she dashes up the stairs behind Rin.

On her way up the stairs, she trips twice, but calls out, "Fuck! Son of a… See? I _told_ you you'd hate me!" She hurries up to Rin's door and leans her head against the wood pathetically. "I don't even know why it happened, it just… happened. I was talking to them and I was in a good mood and I just… wanted to do something nice for them, as thanks for all the nice stuff they've done for us…"

With his voice muffled from behind the door, Rin replies. "That's fine! Perfectly understandable!" Aria hears the distinct sound of wood sliding against wood, before Rin speaks up again. "I _totally_ get it, Ari!"

A couple seconds of silence pass, and Aria hears a loud bumping sound coming from inside Rin's room. "Ouch, fuck!" he curses softly. A few seconds later, he calls out, "I'm okay!"

Aria reaches down and twists the doorknob. "What the hell are you doing in there?" she asks as she pushes the door open.

It takes a few seconds for the situation to dawn on her. Rin stands on the other side of the room, his body halfway out the window, obviously trying to escape. Aria blinks at him, then rushes toward him, shaking her head adamantly. "Oh no. _Nononononono_, NO. You are not abandoning me!"

"I love you sis, but yes I am," Rin replies, sticking his head out the window and trying to pull the rest of his body with it.

"Uh-uh," Aria denies. "Nope. No way. Not happening. I'm not doing this alone!" She reaches her arms out, grabbing him around the middle and trying desperately to pull him back in.

Rin resists her grip, but not hard enough to throw either of them off balance. "Just tell them I've skipped down! They won't even miss me!" he announces.

Slowly, Aria releases her grip on his middle and steps back, letting her arms fall to her sides dejectedly. "Rin… please?" she pleads with him.

"You have to face your mistakes, Ari," Rin tells her, while he stares at the grass from his window. "Why is this house so tall?"

The irony of that statement coming from Rin, of all people, is not lost on her, but she decides not to comment on that at the moment. Instead, she clasps her hands together and meets Rin's gaze. "Rin… _please_? They're our friends… right? So… it's not… it's not a big deal! Just dinner, between four friends. That's all. R-right?" She isn't sure who she's trying to convince more, herself or Rin.

Rin stares at her incredulously. "Then why were you freaking out a few seconds ago? If it's 'just a dinner between friends?'" he asks.

Her mind flashes back to when Louis said the word 'date,' but Aria blatantly decides to avoid mentioning that to Rin. "Because… I knew you'd get mad. And look at you. You're mad." She gestures broadly at him, the frown on her face intensifying. "It's not a big deal, Rin. It's not. It's… just, you know… unexpected and I know you don't like unexpected company, let alone when it's _Louis_…"

With a whine, Rin seems to accept defeat and finally climbs back into his bedroom. "And here I was, hoping I could be a potato for the foreseeable future," he sighs, flopping onto his bed dramatically. "Now you're making me be… _social_." He buries his face in his pillow.

Aria laughs half-heartedly as she flops onto his bed next to him. "And I'll probably make you dress somewhat nice, too. No pajama dinner for you," she tells him.

The look Rin shoots her is almost comical with how angry it is. "_No_," he declares.

"Please?" Aria begs. "For me?"

Rin pouts. "You can't make me," he says, sticking his tongue out childishly. "I'm wearing my PJs and they will be the Blue Lion bottoms!"

A moment of revelation strikes Aria like a lightning bolt. She knows the perfect pair of pants for Rin to actually wear tomorrow. She flops out of his bed, landing on her hands and knees on the floor, and crawls over to his dresser. "_Alternately_, you could wear that really nice pair of black jeans we found at the thrift store! The ones that really accentuate your booty!"

"Pajamas or death," Rin protests.

Aria completely ignores his protests and moves to the next drawer of his dresser. "And that really nice flannel? The one I always steal," she declares. "With a t-shirt underneath, or maybe a tank…"

It isn't long before she finds herself in her own little world, going through all his different outfits and trying to pick things that match. She does this frequently, every time Rin needs help picking an outfit, and it's why she's glad she knows pretty much every item of clothing he has. She's bought a majority of them herself, because she knows they'd look great on her brother.

"What do you think, Rin? The form-fitting gray hoodie or the—" Aria pauses when she realizes that Rin isn't in the room with her anymore. Her first instinct is to look at the window, but when she realizes it's closed, she turns around and hurries for the door. "Rin? Where'd you go?"

Almost instantly, Rin pops out of Aria's room, holding one of her many black dresses. The one he holds is one of her favorites. It's an a-line, with a ruffled bottom that's lined with black. It stretches down to the middle of Aria's thighs, which leaves plenty of room for her to get creative with leggings and shoes. She blinks at Rin, wondering why he's holding the dress.

"This," Rin declares simply.

Aria scoffs. "You are _not_ wearing one of my dresses, Rin," she crosses her arms indignantly.

With a scandalized scoff, Rin shakes his head. "No! I meant for you. If you're forcing me to wear actual clothes then you're going to wear this," he insists. "With knee-highs, and I'll do your hair."

"Rin!" Aria scoffs. "Which one of us _always_ wears actual clothes and which one skulks around like a serial killer in ratty hoodies every day? Besides, I can't wear a dress. Yakumo will think… he'll… he'll get the wrong idea."

Rin looks at her indignantly. "Aria. You're asking me to force my ass into a pair of black jeans in my own damn house. You are _wearing_ the dress," he demands.

There's another protest on Aria's lips, but it falls short when realization dawns on her. She has a full day tomorrow. She'll probably only get home at about five-thirty, which will give her barely enough time to prepare dinner. It doesn't seem like much of a problem, because to most people, that's enough time to get everything that needs to be done… done.

For Aria, on the other hand—a girl with big, voluptuously curly hair—a brand new problem has posed itself.

"Wait… I just… I just realized something!" Aria declares, displaying every bit of the horror she feels on her face.

Rin's expression morphs into worry quickly. "What?" he asks.

Panic courses through her as she goes over her schedule in her head. "I have class tomorrow until three-thirty, band practice until five. I won't have enough time to straighten my hair!" She places a hand on her head, carding a hand through the amethyst strands, displaying one which has already started to resist the straightening she did this morning.

With a horrified gasp at the sight of her curls returning, she turns back into Rin's room again and flops face down onto the bed. "I'm moving to the moon," she announces in a whiny voice.

"Aria," Rin calls after her, his voice closer than she expects it to be. "You wake up at ass o'clock to do your hair. Why not just restraighten it then?"

Aria huffs. "I guess I could wake up an hour earlier. Just another reason added to the list of reasons 'why I should get it permanently straightened,'" she announces with a grumble.

It's not that she hates her curls. She actually thinks they're unique when they're tamed. When they _can_ be tamed. The problem is exactly how _hard_ they are to tame. When she was younger, she recalls every single time she was mocked for looking like a poodle or like she stuck her hair in a light socket. She recalls being laughed at for having hair bigger and curlier than anyone else in the school. She remembers it all, remembers how, according to the girls in school, it made her look 'ugly and trashy.'

That's why, to this day, she never leaves the house without her hair straightened until the curls are completely gone.

Aria forcibly shakes the memories away and turns to Rin with a half-genuine smile. "Anyway. This?" she asks, holding the hoodie up. "Or the black flannel or the really cute stripey shirt I designed for you? I'm leaning toward the stripey one."

"Stripey shirt," Rin tells her. "If I have to."

With a heavy sigh, Aria looks at Rin nervously. "Hey Sunshine?"

"Yeah?"

"Remind me of this next time I think I have good ideas," Aria tells him, before flopping backward onto his bed and staring at the ceiling.

Rin huffs a humorless laugh. "Oh, trust me, I won't let you live this moment down."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aria: Ruining Frey lives since birth.


	11. Rin (VI)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Frey twins panic. Rin, because Louis is coming over for dinner (again) and Aria, because she did not quite think this dinner through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! It was totally my fault! I spent a bajillion hours yesterday fighting with word doc and completely forgot to post this chapter, and for Sunday because I had to go to bed extremely early for work-related reasons LOL
> 
> Lizi and I have decided to move MTG updates to Monday since we keep missing the Sunday deadline.

Rin’s Wednesday doesn’t go as he expects. For starters, his favorite beanie goes missing, and despite tearing apart his room to find it, the damn thing is nowhere to be found. Secondly, searching for it makes him late for his first class. In spite of his intense desire to stay home and look for it, Rin knows he’ll incur Aria’s worry if she finds out he skipped for the day. The final unexpected thing of the day was Louis. Rin wasn’t sure what to expect, but having Louis be calm around him, and never once mention their plans for tonight, makes Rin feel paranoid. Did he forget? Did Aria hallucinate the entire situation? Or was the whole thing just one big grand scheme against the twins?

Rin shakes the thought away. That isn’t likely. He may not have known Louis and Yakumo for long, but they don't seem like the type to come up with elaborate plans just to get back at the twins. Still, Louis’ soft smiles and casual commentary during their contemporary literature class put Rin into a false sense of security. Things get weirder when Louis doesn’t stay after.

_ Okay. I’m not going to overthink this.  _ Rin thinks as he packs up his things for the day and heads out of the classroom. _ I’m pretty sure Aria invited them over and they’re still coming over. Louis probably had someplace to go right after. Also, it’s not like he’s going to wait for me after every class. It was just a one-time thing on the first day of school, I shouldn’t expect it all the time.  _

He snaps out of his daze by the time he reaches the familiar steps of his home and slips the key into the lock.  _ I’m not overthinking it. Nope. Nope. I have no reason to think badly of either of them. Besides, this is a great opportunity to give Louis my thank you piece. _ He steps into the house, letting the door slam behind him.

Aria doesn’t acknowledge his presence despite the loud bang of the door. He’s surprised to see her crouched next to the electrical outlet, desperately plugging and unplugging her hair straighter as she mutters obscenities under her breath. She plugs the device into the wall again, but the small light on the side doesn’t light up.

“Stupid fucking… piece of garbage… can't even heat up.” She scoffs, unplugging and replugging the straightener for the umpteenth time. “TURN ON YOU DUMBASS GREEN LIGHT. IT'S LITERALLY ALL YOU'RE DESIGNED FOR.”

Rin approaches her curiously, surprised to see her home so early. If he remembers correctly, Aria has one more class after his on Mondays and Wednesdays, so he doesn't expect to catch her home at this time. He watches her in amusement for another few seconds, until his eyes catch sight of the familiar black beanie currently covering Aria’s messy curls. 

“So that’s where my favorite beanie went.” He chuckles. “Should’ve guessed. You’re home early today, Ari.”

At the sound of his voice, Aria finally turns to him. She looks distressed, distracted even. “Yeah. Band practice was canceled. The guitarist had a meeting out of town or whatever.” She turns her attention back toward the electrical outlet and groans dismally. “Turn  _ on, _ you piece of crap, turn  _ on _ !” She shakes the hair straightener for added emphasis but the poor thing remains as cool and lifeless as ever.

Rin chuckles lightly. “Did your straightener break?” He asks casually. He flings his bookbag somewhere behind the couch and doesn’t wince when it  _ thunks  _ heavily against the ugly carpet.

Aria whips her head around again, her tight, wild curls barely move from the momentum. “Tonight of  _ all _ nights! Now I'm gonna have to face Yakumo with this!” She points at her hair, which resembles the rattiest, curliest bird's nest ever and groans dramatically. “Go ahead. Give me crap about it being karma or whatever.”

“Eh,” He shrugs uncaringly. “It’s not fun when you recognize it’s karma. But, more importantly, are you sure they’re even coming? Louis didn’t bring it up at all during class today. Maybe you hallucinated the whole encounter?”

Aria’s eyes grow wide in hope. Rin can’t help think how cute she looks, with her hair sticking out from beneath his beanie like an ungroomed poodle, violet eyes wide. It takes him back to when they were small kids in their first foster home, the wide-eyed surprise Aria gave their first guardian when she was given her first-ever gift.

“You think?” She muses, somewhat thoughtful. “Me being in a good mood, like I was yesterday,  _ is _ kinda far fetched. Maybe the whole thing was a dream.”

Rin throws himself on the couch and lounges casually, feeling proud. Confident. The more he thinks back to Louis’ behavior an hour ago, the more he convinces himself that maybe it really  _ was  _ just Aria’s hallucination. 

“Yeah, so you have nothing to worry about,” he grins. “I’m pretty sure it’ll just be us tonight.” His phone’s text tone goes off. He fishes it out of his pocket and checks the message.

Rin’s confidence shrivels up like a raisin and he shoots up from the couch, wide-eyed and pale.

“What’s wrong? Who was it?” Aria asks.

Rin turns to her slowly, his terror mounting. “L-Louis,” He croaks. Without saying anything more, he holds up his phone for Aria to read.

_ Sorry for leaving so early, but there were a few things I wanted to take care of before coming over tonight. Yakumo and I will be there at 7.  _

_ See you soon.  _

_ \- Louis.  _

Rin lets out a breath that sounds suspiciously like a whine. He throws himself back onto the couch and flings and arm over his eyes. “I hoped! I dreamt! But alas, I was lied to,” he wails miserably. He stares at the text again, the corners of his lips curling into a small smile despite his theatrics. “Why is he such a dork? Who signs their own texts?”

He misses the way Aria smiles at him before responding: “Cool people, that's who. Next time I text you, it'll be…” In a monotonous, robotic tone— “ _ Dear Rin, I wish I could die right now. At least my curly hair would be big enough to bury me. Sincerest regards, Your sister, Aria. _ ” She stares pathetically at the broken straightener in her hands.

Rin jerks back into a sitting position at the mention of Aria’s curls. “Shit, your curls.” He grabs her wrist gently and urges her to stand. “Come with me. I have just the thing that’ll help your rat’s nest.”

Aria stands but scoffs. “At least make it a  _ bird's _ nest, Rin. Rats are gross. Birds are less gross.”

He laughs unabashedly as he hastily drags her up the stairs and into his room. He urges her to sit on his bed while he searches through the bottom drawer of his dresser. He pulls out a wrinkled grocery bag and tosses the contents onto the floor.

“I bought a couple of products I wanted to try out on your hair the other day, but I’ve been too lazy. You know me. There’s a hair mask in here that I think will salvage your curls!” He picks up a palm-sized container and shoves it into her hands with excited, childlike glee. “The instructions say you can use it on damp or dry hair, but I think it’ll work better with your hair dry. I’ll need to use rollers and a hairdryer.”

Rin catches Aria’s brief smile before realization dawns on her. “Wait. Wait, why are we talking about making my hair  _ more _ curly? The point of a straightener is to  _ remove _ the curl, Sunshine.”

“And we don’t have a straightener unless you want me to burn your hair off with the hot iron. Which I’m not going to do. You can’t make me. So this—” He taps the top of the hair mask. “—is what we’re going to do. I’ll tame it down enough so that you don’t look like a poodle, I promise.” He grins.

Aria looks hesitant at first. She stares between him and the hair mask container. She bites the bottom of her lip. “I trust you, I just… hate that  _ you _ even know that I have curly hair. Why does  _ he _ have to know? Not Louis, I don't think it'd be a big thing to  _ him _ but…” She huffs, sounding annoyed. “Never mind. You've never let me down before. Work your magic, Mr. Magic Fingers.”

Rin decides not to question Aria’s concerns. He knows the story. He’s heard the rumors. The stupid, ignorant bullshit teenage girls like to spout when they’re jealous of others—it irks him to no end, but it hurts more knowing that Aria still worries about her curls even now. Still, curly hair is a part of Aria and while Rin thinks they’re the prettiest curls in the world, he understands what its like hating a part of yourself. The best he can do is refine what the humidity has already started.

He sets to work quickly. He peels off the silver coil from the container and scoops a small lump of the white cream onto his fingers. He rubs his hands, spreading the mixture across his palms, and sets to work. It doesn’t take him long, but Rin knows time is of the essence and soon enough, Aria has a head full of medium-sized rollers, and he’s locking the curls into place with the power of heat from the hairdryer.

“Let it sit for ten minutes after this and then take them out. I’ll pull them apart so the curls don’t come out so thick, and then I’ll style it, okay?”

“Where would I be without you, Sunshine?” Aria smiles fondly at him. “Best brother in the universe.”

Rin feels heat crawl up the nape of his neck. “It’s nothing,” he mumbles bashfully.

“It was everything.” She chuckles, patting him on the knee as she stands up. “You saw me cowered on the floor shouting at my stupid straightener. As usual, you saved the day, though. Wanna come help me put the lasagna together while it sets, then? And by help I mean just stand there and lament our fate?”

“You know me so well,” Rin grins cheekily.

He follows her down the stairs into the kitchen and makes himself comfortable in one of the kitchen chairs. There’s a brief moment of silence where Aria looks contemplative about something. Before he can get the chance to ask, she glances at him and says, “So, Louis seems excited about this.”

Rin’s good mood suddenly falters. He tries not to let it show on his face, but he isn’t sure how successful he is. “Don’t make it weird, Ari.” He grumbles.

“What’s weird about that?” She shrugs. “I don’t think it’s weird.”

He shakes his head in disagreement. “Nothing. Nevermind. Ignore me, I was thinking about something else.” He lies. He doesn’t want to get into this topic. Not again. Louis being “excited” to have dinner with Rin again isn’t something he wants to delve into the meaning of. He already  _ knows  _ what she’s implying, what she  _ wants  _ to happen. Rin doesn’t want Louis to get tangled up with him anymore than he already has.

“It's completely natural for people to be excited about spending time with other people, isn't it?” As she speaks, she maneuvers around the kitchen, gathering ingredients from shelves. At the same time, she puts the pasta on to boil. 

“I didn’t say it wasn’t,” Rin grumbles. 

“Are you okay, Rin?” She asks suddenly. There’s something unusual in her tone of voice but Rin isn’t sure what.

He frowns in confusion and watches her curiously. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

Aria shakes her head. “Nothing. Anyway. You know, I was thinking… maybe this  _ won’t  _ be so bad?”

“Yeah? What makes you say that?”

“I mean, it'll help us get closer to them, you know? Be their friends. They really  _ do _ seem like nice guys, and it couldn't hurt to let them in a  _ little _ bit… r-right?” She smiles at Rin over her shoulder, but Rin can tell the smile barely masks her nerves.

He shrugs, unsure of what Aria wants him to say. “I guess…” He mumbles.

Aria stops what she’s doing and turns to him then. “Something’s wrong.”

Rin frowns in confusion, but he avoids her gaze. He shrugs. “There’s nothing wrong. I’m fine.”

“You know you’re incapable of lying to me, Sunshine.” She looks at him, concerned, eyes soft.

Rin feels resignation seeping into his thoughts. She says he’s incapable of lying to her, and yet… Rin can’t count the number of times he’s gotten away with his lies. The biggest lie of all is the one he refuses to think about, but he wonders, as she waits patiently for him to respond, if she’s _always _known. Maybe she’s always waited for him to come to her? The more Rin thinks about it, the more frustrated he feels. If Rin is incapable of lying to her then Aria is incapable of lying to _him_, too. He’s waiting for her, just as she is with him, and yet neither of them take the first step.

_ It’s fine.  _ He tells himself, albeit somewhat bitterly.  _ We’ve gotten this far already. We can keep going forward like this.  _ A part of him disagrees, but he shoves that annoying voice deep into the back of his mind. Now isn’t the time or place.

“Are you nervous about dinner?” She asks when the silence stretches on for too long. She glances at the pot for a too-brief second, then turns back to Rin.

“Y-yeah, I guess I am.” He tries not to wince at his stutter and rubs his neck uncomfortably.

“What're you nervous about? I'll be here this time, and so will Yakumo, so it's not like you'll be alone with him again, right?” Aria smiles comfortingly at him and turns the pot temperature down. “It's been about ten minutes, I think. Maybe we can just do it here?” She gestures to her rollers.

He’s not worried about dinner. Not truly anyway, but saying the truth right now feels like pulling teeth. It’s easier to lie or to avoid the topic altogether, so Rin keeps his mouth shut. He rises from the chair and starts pulling the rollers from Aria’s hair. The first curl that falls is soft and silky to the touch, yet its thick, thicker than Aria’s natural curls. He pulls it apart and wraps it around his finger. It bounces upon release. He smiles. He does the same for the rest until her hair cascades down her shoulders in a fluffy, chaotic waterfall of shiny amethyst. 

“Okay, I’ll wait until the food is in the oven before doing your hair. I need my stuff for it anyway. It looks great, by the way.”

Aria’s contemplative silence makes Rin nervous. She hadn’t said a word through the entirety of Rin removing the curlers, and now that her hair is free, she watches him with concerned eyes. “Tell me what's bothering you.” She quietly pleads. Her tone is gentle and loving, but Rin can sense the desperation behind it.

He smiles wistfully at her. “I’m fine. I promise. I’m gonna go get changed, I’ll be back in a second.” He leaves the kitchen, trying his best not to look back. Rin doesn’t think he can handle seeing her disappointment again. 

_ Sorry, Ari. I’ll do better. I’ll try harder. I’m trying my best to be normal. _

Rin deliberately takes his time getting ready. It’s not so much an effort to avoid Aria, but more of a wishful desire to delay the inevitable. Louis and Yakumo will be over in less than two hours and Rin still has to finish doing Aria’s hair. Once he’s finally dressed in the outfit Aria picked out for him, and his hair is as brushed as it can be, he finally returns to the living room with Aria’s box of hair supplies.

He plasters on an amused smirk when he returns to the kitchen. It surprises him how genuine it feels despite their earlier conversation. “Okay sis, let’s get your hair done!”

Concern still lines Aria's eyes as she turns around and looks at him. She gives him a loving smile as she puts the prepared lasagna in the oven, and then turns around and clasps her hands together. “Perfect timing,  _ as  _ usual!” She hops over to the table next to Rin and sits down in a chair. “I am your model. Sculpt me, oh master of the somehow-tamed wild curls.”

“And I shall!” He chuckles. “I’m going to make something really simple this time.”

“And while you do it can you tell me what's bothering you? 'Cause it's been bothering me this whole time.”

Ignoring her request, Rin gets to work. Not wanting to ruin the tightness of her curls, he uses his fingers to comb through the length of her hair gently. His fingers flow through her tresses with relative ease, only snagging on a few occasions, but the mask keeps the frizz calm and most of her strays tamed.

“Sunshine. I know you can talk and style at the same time. You've done it literally a million times before.” 

He catches her watching him in the reflection of the far window. and huffs a faint-hearted chuckle. “Have you thought that maybe I have nothing to say because there’s nothing wrong? Bend your head forward a little for me.”

She obliges. “No, I haven't thought that because I think I probably know you better than you know yourself most of the time. Something's bothering you. You know you can tell me anything, and that…” She pauses for a moment, and in that small stretch of silence, Rin wonders what’s going through his sister’s mind. “that I'll love you no matter what, right?”

He uses a styling comb to split Aria’s hair and starts rolling the top half into a messy ball. He pins it against her head with strategically placed hairpins. With immense focus on Aria’s hair, Rin murmurs, “Yeah, I know. I love you too, Ari, but I have nothing to tell you. There’s  _ nothing  _ wrong with me.” He finger-combs the remaining length of her hair and pulls out a few nicely curled strands over her eyes.

“Of course there isn’t,” She states sharply. “You’re amazing. I'm just saying… if something's bothering you—not saying that something is, but  _ if _ something is bothering you—you can talk to me. Always.”

For the briefest of moments, Rin pauses. There are a thousand things he wants to say. A thousand excuses and a thousand explanations, but none of them form on his tongue. A voice, filled with bitterness and hatred, replays the words he’s grown accustomed to in his mind, drowning out Aria’s reassurances. It isn’t fair to her and he knows it. She’s always been there for from, from the very beginning of his  _ growth  _ to the person he is now. She’s one of the few pillars of support he has in his life, but still, Mido’s voice… Mido’s words. It’s a never-ending cycle. He tries to hide his grimace. 

He takes a final hairpin and slides it a little too aggressively into Aria’s curled bun.

“Ow!” 

Rin jerks away, startled. “Shit, Ari. I’m so sorry!”

“No, no. It's my fault.” She flashes him a sad smile. “You said you were fine and I kept pushing. You've…” She laughs, though it doesn't hold a lot of humor. “You've always told me to stop doing that. Guess that's you proving your point, huh?” She sticks her tongue out affectionately.

Rin envelops Aria in his arms and buries his face into her newly done hair. “‘M sorry… it’s not your fault… I’m just… going through something…” He pulls her away slowly, a wistful smile on his lips. “But I… thank you. Just… I need time. Okay? I promise. I’ll be better with time.”

Aria returns the hug and squeezes him like her life depends on it. There's a crackling in her tone when she responds, and Rin almost misses it with her head buried in his shoulder. She doesn't let go when Rin does. “Can't be better when you're already perfect.”

_ I’m not, I’m not. I wish—for the love of everything—that I was, but I’m not. I’m so sorry, Ari. _

Rin chuckles self-deprecatingly. “Perfect isn’t for people like us. It’s for people like Louis.”

Reluctantly, Aria releases him from the hug and kisses him on the cheek. “You, Rin Frey, are the best brother a lousy sister like me could ever hope for. I love you to the moon and back, you know that?”

Rin flushes pink in embarrassment. “You’re not lousy, Ari! You’re just a little vertically challenged, but I love you all the same.”

She puffs out a breath of laughter. “ _ Wow _ . What a bully.” She teases him. “Now. Let's take a glimpse in the bathroom mirror and see this big bully's handiwork.” She trots off, her eager steps perhaps somewhat overdramatic. From the bathroom, Rin can hear her surprised inhale. “Oh my god, how did you  _ do _ that? My hair… looks…  _ human _ ? It doesn't look like the frizz from a foofy dog's ass? You really  _ are _ a magician!”

“That’s what I keep saying but no one ever believes me.” He laughs. A real one this time. “Glad you like it though. It’ll look great with your dress.”

Aria dashes back into the living room and hugs Rin again. “The  _ best _ brother anyone could ever ask for. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go put that dress  _ on _ . And my makeup. Can you take the tinfoil off the lasagna when the timer dings?” She smiles at him and presses her finger to the tip of his nose.

He scrunches up his face as she does so, and playfully swats it away. “Yeah, yeah, you got it.” He beams.

* * *

Two hours later, Rin finds himself pacing around the living room, wringing his sweaty hands and trying his best not to hyperventilate. Hyperventilating with his binder strapped on as tightly as it is, is something Rin absolutely does not want to deal with. He feels far too jittery to try to sit down and relax, but he figures Aria wouldn’t appreciate him running laps around the apartment duplex this late at night either, so instead he paces. He paces and he thinks. He mutters to himself. Stops, glances at the clock then paces again. If he could, he’d run his fingers through his hair as he usually does when he’s this anxious, but he can’t. He doesn’t want to mess it up. It took him far too damn long to get it  _ just  _ right.

He feels stupid for feeling this  _ worried _ , it’s just a simple dinner with a couple of  _ friends _ . They’re just  _ friends _ . Louis and Yakumo are  _ friends. _

_ Friends. _

He doesn’t even know what that word means anymore.

“Fuck, I think I’m going to die,” He breathes to himself, exhaling shakily.

The front bell suddenly chimes, startling Rin out of his skin. The urge to scream and flee runs strong in his veins, but he doesn’t give in. He can’t abandon Aria. Or at least, he won’t abandon her until  _ after  _ he gets a picture of Yakumo’s expression when he sees Aria for the first time.

“They’re here!” He calls out.

From the kitchen, Aria glances over her shoulder. “Oh! Can you get it? I'm putting the finishing touches on the lasagna, Sunshine. I'll be a couple of minutes.”

Rin opens his mouth to protest but the only thing he manages is a squeak. He clears his throat and coughs into his fist. He stares at the doorknob. He can almost hear Yakumo and Louis faintly chattering from behind the door. 

The bell rings again. 

Rin’s staring intensifies.

“Sunshine… can you get it, please?” Aria calls out again. “I can't right now!”

Rin jumps in place, his nerves fried. “Y-yeah! I got it!” He cries over his shoulder then returns to staring at the doorknob again.

Someone knocks.

“Is everything okay over there?”

“Y-yeah! Fine!” Rin takes a deep breath. Exhales. He shakes his limbs of his remaining jitters and opens the door.

The first person Rin sees is Louis. Louis’ attention is momentarily elsewhere, as he checks his phone for something, but hanging off his arm is a small party bag. Rin’s eyes trail down the length of Louis’ body, taking in Louis' attire before his brain registers the bouquet of flowers clutched tightly in Louis’ left hand. 

Suddenly, heat rushes up the nape of Rin’s neck. Louis is dressed to impress, though he’s not ridiculously formal. He’s wearing clean pressed black slacks, a gray shirt with an impressive deep V-neckline and a matching black blazer. He’s well put together; his hair properly brushed, yet still, somehow untamed, and while the long fringe of hair still overs Louis’ right eye, it doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s devastatingly attractive. 

Yakumo’s voice filters sluggishly into Rin’s brain, and when he blinks toward the taller boy, Rin can see Yakumo’s knowing smile.

“Hey! Was starting to wonder if everything was okay in there.” He laughs pleasantly.

Rin slams the door shut in front of them.

“Uh…” Yakumo murmurs.

“What just happened?” Rin hears Louis ask from beyond the door.

At that moment, Aria’s voice carries into the living room. “I'll be right there, g—” She pauses, and when Rin turns to look her way, he finds her staring inquisitively at him from over her shoulder. “Guys? Rin, where are they?”

“Outside.”

“ _ Why _ are they outside?” She rinses her hands in the sink and dries them on the towel hanging from the oven.

“I dunno,” He answers honestly, face burning hot.

“Rin…” Aria sighs. She rushes across the living room and opens the door. “Uh… h-hey guys. Sorry about that, I called Rin from the kitchen and surprised him.”

Yakumo laughs gently. “It's okay. Everything alright?”

“Yeah! Yeah, we're fine. Come on in!” She steps out of the way for them looking bright and confident. Rin can see through the charade as clear as day. 

As Louis steps into the apartment, he hands the bouquet of flowers to Aria. “I brought a thank you gift for the dinner invitation. And tea.” He gestures idly to the party bag. “I hope it's to your liking.”

“Oh wow, that’s… thank you!” Aria smiles at Louis until it turns lopsided and nervous when her eyes land on Yakumo. Rin tries not to laugh out loud. He doesn’t want Louis’ eye on him.

“Okay, now that Louis has made you swoon with flowers, it's my turn.” Yakumo laughs. “I baked a cake for dessert, and I also baked garlic bread because Louis told me you were making lasagna.” He passes them both to Rin, who accepts the food as an excuse to hide his face. He hurries into the kitchen to drop the items off, silently singing Yakumo’s praises for giving him a temporary respite from Louis’ untamed sex appeal.

“Again, thank you for the invitation, Aria,” Louis says.

“Yeah, of course! If you guys wanna like… make yourself at home, I'm just gonna go and grab the food and set the table!”

Silence awkwardly permeates through the living room. For a moment, Rin hears Yakumo stammer over his words. He whips around quickly, fumbling to pull out his phone to capture this very moment. Yakumo is staring dumbly at Aria, his eyes wide. He has the perfect vantage point from the kitchen to capture Yakumo’s face. When he snaps the picture silently, he returns to the living room, purposely avoiding Louis’ watchful gaze. 

“Hey Yakumo! I see you’ve noticed my handiwork.” He drapes an arm around his sister and carefully pats her bun. “Beautiful, isn’t she?” He grins slyly. He can feel Louis’ eyes on him.

“Rin,  _ please _ …” Aria nudges him with her hip, then turns to look from Yakumo, who is still staring at her, but is now rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly and trying to hide his red face. “Um… hey Louis, you wanna come help me set the table?”

Before Louis can get a chance to reply, Rin cuts in, holding up a hand at Louis. “No, no! I’ve got it. You two just… make yourselves  _ comfortable! _ ” He steers Aria away from the boys despite her confused protests. Once they’re in the kitchen, the boys have settled themselves on the couch, Rin turns to Aria with desperation in his eyes. “Aria, I’m going to die. We can’t do this. Let's cancel the whole thing!”

“What do you  _ mean _ ?” She whispers incredulously. “They’re already here! We’re fine, Rin. It’s fine!”

“It is  _ not  _ fine!” He disputes. “This whole thing is  _ not fine _ ! Did you see  _ him _ ?” He gestures wildly to the bouquet of flowers in her hands. “ _ What is this _ ?!”

“Rin, he  _ literally _ told us what it was. It was a thank you. For inviting him to dinner.” She stands on her tip toes and tries to reach a vase high on the shelf, large enough to put the flowers in. “I think it was nice of him.”

Rin grabs the vase and hands it to her carefully. “Of course you do. Girls like flowers.” He exhales in resignation. “I’m going to climb out the window.” He turns toward the living room but stops. “Oh, right. I should probably  _ actually  _ help you set up the table.”

“Rin. Please. They're nice guys, I don't understand why you're so intimidated by them.” She pauses as she puts potholders on her hands and grabs the lasagna. “Or… no. Not even them.  _ Louis _ . You seem fine around Yakumo.”

“That’s because Yakumo is only interested in  _ one  _ Frey twin while  _ Louis  _ seems to want me to choke on his damn sex appeal.” Rin groans. He takes the china from the cabinets and carries them toward the kitchen table.

A shadow passes the corner of his eye, and when he glances toward it, he nearly screams. The dishes rattle dangerously in his hands.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I’d be willing to help you two if needed.” Louis smiles politely, though his eye watches Rin’s hands warily.

Rin doesn’t miss the pointed look Aria gives him. “Yeah, that'd be great! I was just about to bring this out, if you could maybe fill that vase with water for the flowers while Rin grabs the plates?” She carries the lasagna to the dining room table.

“Sure thing,” He says easily. He walks past Rin, though the space is tight. Louis’ arm accidentally brushes along the small of Rin’s back as he moves toward the empty vase. He carefully settles it into the sink and fills it with water. Rin tries his best not to hyperfocus on the small of his back, or the tingle that ran up and down his spine. “I hope the flowers weren’t too much. They were at a good price and I thought it would… look nice.”

“Th-thanks,” Rin chokes out, feeling overheated. “Th-thanks. Yo-Th-they’re p-pretty.”

Louis turns off the faucet and proceeds to place the bouquet inside. “Aria, where would you like me to put this?”

“Middle of the table is fine!” She returns to Rin's side, and gently nudges him in the side, before gathering Yakumo's garlic bread and bringing it to the table, too.

Rin feels like he’s going to spontaneously combust and he’s not sure who to blame for it: Aria or Louis? 

_ Both _ . He decides plainly.  _ It’s both their faults. _

Louis sets the vase down at the center of the table just as Yakumo finally joins them in the kitchen.

“Imagine how much of a tool I feel like, a guest in someone else's apartment and just sitting there doing nothing.” He laughs. “Do you guys need any help?”

_ RESCUE ME FROM THE EVIL DUO.  _ Rin screams in his mind.

Instead, Aria beats him to the punch. “You can help Rin set the table if you want!”

“You got it!” Yakumo approaches Rin and inspects the plates in Rin’s hands. “What d'you say, dude? Divide and conquer?”

“Y-yeah. You can handle the plates. I’ll, uh, I’ll set out the utensils.” He makes for the drawer where they keep their forks, pulls it open and stares. He glances toward Aria and Louis, who are busy working together checking the status of the food. He gathers what he needs and then returns to Yakumo’s side before his nerves can get the better of him. “Hey, Yakumo?” He murmurs quietly. 

“Huh? What's up?”

In a barely audible whisper, Rin says: “Ari’s had… I made her upset earlier, and she’s been having a rough day today. If it's possible… can you be extra nice to her today? I know you usually are, from what I’ve seen, but… I think she’d really appreciate it.” He stares up into Yakumo’s eyes, hoping the older boy can read the seriousness in his expression.

Yakumo blinks at him in surprise. He glances between him and Aria as though he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “She's upset? I never would've…” He pauses and then turns his full attention onto Rin. “Don't worry about it. Even though I doubt I'll be as good at cheering her up as her partner in crime here is” He shoulders Rin gently. “I'll do what I can.”

“Thanks, man.” Rin grins, feeling relieved. “Now, let’s get this table ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to give a big, big shout out to Gliver for their lovely comments on the chapters thus far!! They've been absolutely uplifting!!


	12. Aria (VI)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis shakes his head. "No, I simply needed a private place for us to talk," he tells her. "So, what happened?"
> 
> For lack of a better word, Aria is stunned. Despite her surprise, though, she's also mildly impressed. This is exactly the type of stunt she would pull if roles were reversed. She laughs softly, then sits down on the front stoop. "Well played, Amamiya," she tells him, pausing briefly to push some of her hair behind her ear, then crosses her legs at the knee. "It's… it's kind of a mess. Are you sure?"
> 
> Louis sits next to her, then nods. "I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't."

The air in the apartment is heavy. Rin is uncomfortable, Aria is nervous, and she can tell that Yakumo and Louis have picked up on it. She'd be more surprised if they hadn't, to be honest. Rin is a lot more capable of wearing his emotions on his sleeve than Aria is.

It's a trait Aria can't help but envy, though Rin complains about it more often than not.

Instead of wearing her emotions on her sleeve, Aria has grown so adept at hiding them that sometimes she even manages to fool herself. Yakumo's statement the other day, about her seeming confident all the time, is proof enough of that. She shakes herself out of her own thoughts as she sets the serving dish on the counter, adjusting it so it's right in the center of the protective mat.

Aria sees Rin talking to Yakumo, the two of them whispering on the other side of the room, and she bites her lip. What could they be talking about? She knows Rin would never _betray_ her, but could Rin possibly have decided to tell Yakumo about the crush he seems to think she has? It doesn't seem like something he'd do, but there have been times over the past few weeks when he hasn't exactly acted like himself.

She frowns and swallows nervously, somehow still managing to hold back the wave of stupid emotion that's been fighting its way up from her throat since her conversation with Rin earlier. She turns to Louis, who has just finished putting the flowers in the middle of the table.

"That was really sweet of you, by the way. Bringing those," she tells him when he gets back to her side of the room. "I don't think I got the chance to say it."

The worry in Louis' eyes is telling as he replies. "I'm relieved to hear you both like them. I was worried that it might have been too much," he admits, then goes quiet briefly. "Forgive me if I'm overstepping my boundaries, but… have you been crying?"

Surprise flashes across Aria's face like a lightning strike. She blinks. "I…" she stammers, before looking over her shoulder at Rin, who is too busy talking in hushed tones with Yakumo to notice. She manages a tense smile when she looks at Louis again. "This uh… isn't the time. Or maybe the place. I'm fine, though, I promise."

"You're right, I'm sorry," Louis concedes, a frown pulling his lips down. "Actually, Aria, since I have your attention, I saw something outside that I was curious about."

Aria furrows her brow. "Outside? Uh…" she turns to glance out the window. "Okay."

With a quick glance over her shoulder at Rin, Aria catches his eye for a second, then shrugs, before turning back to Louis and leading him out the door. Was this anyone else, she might be concerned about motive, but Louis is legitimately the least threatening person she's ever known, so she willingly follows him and closes the door behind her. She looks around the yard, trying to figure out exactly what could have caught his attention.

"The neighbors are partiers," Aria muses as she continues her systematic sweep of the yard. So far, nothing looks out of place. "Sometimes they keep me up until, like, three a.m. Did they leave something on the lawn?"

Louis shakes his head. "No, I simply needed a private place for us to talk," he tells her. "So, what happened?"

For lack of a better word, Aria is stunned. Despite her surprise, though, she's also mildly impressed. This is exactly the type of stunt she would pull if roles were reversed. She laughs softly, then sits down on the front stoop. "Well played, Amamiya," she tells him, pausing briefly to push some of her hair behind her ear, then crosses her legs at the knee. "It's… it's kind of a mess. Are you sure?"

Louis sits next to her, then nods. "I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't."

"Should've known you'd say that," Aria answers with a shrug. "It's just… earlier."

Aria pauses and glances over her shoulder into the apartment. She catches sight of Yakumo and Rin talking, and can't help but smile at the way Yakumo has Rin laughing casually over something they're looking at on Yakumo's phone. The smile quickly fades when she turns to look back at the front step. "I was talking to Rin, and we…" 

Hesitation grips Aria's chest tightly. How could she possibly bring this up to Louis without completely betraying Rin's trust? What she's already told Louis is enough, without getting into the reasons and the things he says when Aria feels like he's forcing himself to hide. More than anything else, she's afraid that if she's _honest_ with Louis about how deep Rin's doubts and fears run, she'll scare him away. The last thing she wants is to scare away the one person she thinks could finally be strong enough to help Rin come to grips with who he is. She runs a hand down her face and swallows nervously.

"I thought we were… you know… making progress. While he was doing my hair, there was a moment when I thought he was finally going to open up to me. I thought, 'hey, maybe if I push a _little_ bit, I can get him to tell me what I've known since forever,' you know? But then he accidentally hurt me by pushing one of the bobby pins too hard into my hair and he ended up apologizing to me over and over and telling me that he'll 'be better' with time. I… I know what that means."

Mido calling Rin's sexuality an illness isn't something Rin can easily get over, and Aria knows and understands that perfectly well. She has her own demons, after all. The thought of Rin carrying these things with him, though… that he'll never be happy or whole if he can't let go of them? That hurts Aria more than her own problems. She feels the heat of tears welling up in her eyes again and blinks them back. The last thing she needs is to start crying, and to have to go back into the house with runny makeup, to let everyone know she was crying.

Swallowing thickly, trying to chase that lump in her throat away, she shrugs. "I hate it," she admits. "I really hate it, Louis."

The veil of night makes it hard to read Louis' expression, but Aria can see the edges of his lips curved downward. "I'm sorry," he tells her. "That must have been painful to hear."

Aria nods, then chuckles pathetically. "You can say that again," she tells him. "It always is. Every time he says it, it's like… he's driving a dagger through both of our hearts, you know? Shoving himself deeper into… the closet, I guess, for lack of a better term… and proving to me how helpless I really am to help him find his way out."

"You're not helpless," Louis supplies quietly. "Being there for him and supporting him is the most important thing you can do in a situation like this. Without you, Rin… might not even be here."

It's terrifying, exactly the power those words hold over Aria. The mere sound of them has her tensing where she sits, a look of absolute horror contorting its way onto her face. Unwanted memories snake their way into her mind's eye, memories of water and cold skin and desperation, and the sounds of Rin's gasping and choking breaths. It takes all Aria has inside keep herself from crying. She shakes her head hard, trying to push the thoughts away, but as soon as she does, tears spring to her eyes in their place.

"I know. I know that, and it terrifies me. We've been there before. B-back when he was starting to question his gender he—"

Aria stops abruptly, unable to finish the sentence. Even thinking of Rin, of her Sunshine, back in so much misery that he'd want to stop living… it destroys her on the inside. To this day, she still worries that something will change; that the desolation and emptiness will come back and he'll find himself back on that dark path all over again. If she loses him, if he's suddenly not in her life anymore, she knows she won't be able to go on, either.

In a shaky voice, Aria wills herself to speak up again. "Like… I look at him, at all the times he's saved my life—and he has, more times than you can even possibly understand, just by _being_ there and _existing_ with me—and I look at this situation and I…" she swallows thickly and blinks hard, trying to stop herself from crying any harder. She fruitlessly wipes the bottom of her eyes with her thumb.

"I just… want to take all the pain he feels and deal with it _myself_, because he doesn't deserve it. There's… there's a reason I call him Sunshine, Louis."

Louis offers a brief smile in the face of the nickname, but it doesn't last. Aria watches as he tries to answer at first, then stops. His brows furrow in thought, and he tries again. "I'm sorry," he settles on. "I didn't mean to increase your worry, or bring back bad memories."

With a sad smile, Aria shakes her head. "You didn't," she promises. "Sometimes you need the reminder."

Aria tilts her head back, looking up at the starry sky, and tries to will herself to relax. It's hard. The memories still gnaw at the inside of her mind, and she knows they'll come back later, when everyone has gone home for the night and she's trying to sleep.

"Can I ask you a favor now?" Aria asks. "Since, you know, I agreed to your favor and everything?"

The lack of hesitation when Louis nods surprises her. "Sure, anything," he tells her.

Aria holds up two fingers and turns to look at him with a tiny smile. "Two things, then. I know, I'm being greedy," she manages to laugh softly. "This is going to sound super weird but… can you not give up on him? I know… he makes it hard. The way he runs away from you or apparently slams the door in your face. But I think… I think there's a reason for that. Something… Rin isn't ready to face yet."

It's a safe way to tell Louis that Rin is interested in him. She hopes Louis doesn't miss it, but that it isn't too overt.

The point doesn't seem to be lost on Louis. His face flushes dark red, and he turns to look away. "O-oh…yeah…" he stammers, clearing his throat, before turning to look at her again, his visible eye alight with a determined fire. "I don't intend to give up on him, Aria. I promise you that."

Aria's smile becomes more genuine then. "Good. Because I think he needs you. In fact, I think he might need you more than he needs _me_ right now," she admits, though the thought pains her more than she's _willing_ to. "Second of all… as hard as the conversation was on me, I know it was harder on him. Can you… can you like… get to know him better? I know he doesn't make it easy, but… I think it'd help. And I think it'd do a lot to make his night better. You know?"

With a resolute nod, Louis answers, "Of course."

"Thanks," Aria says with a warm smile. "Both for me and for him, since I know he won't say it right now and you deserve to hear it. You've been really patient with us and I'm not sure we've done anything to deserve it."

Louis chuckles in reply. "Seeing you both happy is enough thanks for me, Aria," he tells her, before turning his head up toward the night sky. "Among other things."

"Other things?" Aria asks, quirking her head in curiosity.

With a smile, Louis shakes his head. "Don't mind me. Just reminiscing," he supplies. "Should we head back inside?"

Laughing, Aria gives him a fake glare. "Wait, hold on. You don't get to ask me to spill my guts onto the grass and then not do the same yourself," she scoffs playfully.

"It's nothing," Louis promises. "Just me being appreciative."

Her mood sufficiently lifted, Aria laughs warmly and stands from the staircase. "The _only_ reason I'm giving in right now is because I have to fix my eyeliner and eyeshadow before it completely stains my cheeks," she tells him, then offers her hand down to help him up. "However, that does not mean I won't circle back to this topic on another day, sir."

Smirking slyly, Louis takes Aria's hand and stands from the front step. "I guess this means I’ll get to watch Yakumo be captivated by you again. You know, I was almost worried he’d asphyxiate in your apartment just from the sight of you," he remarks with a wry smirk.

Aria blinks incredulously. "_What_?" she scoffs. "Are you… what do you—that's not funny!" 

Her face turns several different shades of red, all increasing in intensity. She tries desperately to hide it, turning her face away so the darkness casts a shadow on her skin. However, no sooner is she expressing her gratitude for the darkness than the lights from inside come billowing out and reveal her bright red face to both Louis and whichever of the boys inside opened the door.

"Uh…" Rin's voice snaps Aria to attention, and all she can do is stare dumbly as he darts his attention from Aria to Louis.

Everything about this situation must look absolutely terrible. Aria's hand is still underneath Louis', her cheeks are red, Louis looks surprised… it paints an ugly picture. Aria's eyes shoot wide open, but before she has a chance to try and explain, to try and tell Rin that it's not what he thinks, Rin speaks up. There's no shortage of annoyance in his voice when he says:

"Sorry, did I interrupt?"

Aria shakes her head adamantly, jumping back and letting Louis' hand go like it's on fire. "What? No!" she insists. "No, I'd just… he was sitting down, and I helped him up! That's all!"

A second later, Yakumo appears behind Rin in the doorway. "Hey, what's go—whoa. Aria, are you okay? Your face is really red," he tells her with a soft, amused laugh.

All Aria can do is nod her head, as she makes her way up the stairs and into the house. "Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine. I just… I need to fix my eyeliner," she tells them, brushing past Rin and Yakumo and hurrying through the living room, to the stairs. "You guys can… start dinner without me, if you want, and I'll come down and join you when I finish!"

"Alright," Rin replies plainly, with his back turned so she can't see his face.

Aria doesn't bother to reply. She rushes up the stairs like her dress is on fire, and shuts her bedroom door behind her, leaning against it for a second and cursing under her breath. She quickly makes her way to her vanity and sets to work fixing her makeup. How in the hell is she supposed to face Rin, with him apparently thinking something had happened between her and Louis? She isn't sure what's worse: the fact that she can't actually dissuade his thoughts without telling him what she told Louis, or the fact that he even jumped to that conclusion to begin with, but whatever it is, it makes a sharp knot of tension form between her shoulders.

The second onslaught of tears is always harder to cover than the first. It's a concept Aria is uncomfortably familiar with. Between the eye drops she has to put in to cover the redness in her eyes and the even thicker layer of black eyeliner and dark red eyeshadow she has to put on, she's almost positive that she looks ridiculous. She knows she can't leave Rin alone down there much longer, so… despite the contempt she knows her brother will show her, she gives herself a final once-over in the mirror and frowns.

_Good enough for now, I guess…_

She stands, straightens her dress, and makes her way downstairs, each footfall making her stomach flip even more. By the time she's through the doorway to the first floor, she feels like she's on the verge of an anxiety attack, but she manages to keep herself together.

"Um… sorry that took so long," she laughs mirthlessly. 

Yakumo looks at her, concern furrowing his brow. "Everything okay?"

Aria casts her glance to each of the boys, then to her empty chair. "Yeah. I'm… I'm fine. Let's eat. Or, I guess… _I_ should eat," she adds with another forced laugh, before she sits down and pokes at her lasagna.

"We didn't want to start without you," Louis points out.

Snapping to attention, Aria looks across the table and realizes that none of them have started eating. "O-oh. You could have," she tells them with a chuckle. "I told you it'd be okay."

With a warm smile on his face, but that same concern in his eyes, Yakumo shrugs. "Rule number one about being a guest: you never start without the chef. Especially when it looks like she's put so much effort into the food."

The ghost of a smile plays upon Aria's lips. "Well… thanks," she murmurs, before glancing across the table at Rin, who is quietly eating his dinner.

A frown pulls the smile away, and Aria starts eating slowly, in an attempt not to agitate her already flipping stomach. It would figure. The one time she allows herself to rely on someone else, even a little bit, her brother has to show up at the worst possible moment and get the totally wrong idea, and now he's mad at her. And to make matters worse, she can't even smooth it over because she had to be an idiot and invite people over. 

She stares at the table, the intermittent sound of forks scraping on plates the only sound in the room for what feels like forever.

After that eternal silence, Yakumo is the first one to speak up. "Okay. I'm gonna be the guy who points out the big elephant in the room, even if he doesn't know what it _is_. What's going on?"

Without meeting anyone's eyes, Aria murmurs, "It's… complicated."

"Really?" Yakumo chuckles. "Because… everything was fine until Rin came to ask you guys what was taking you so long… and how whatever it was took you outside."

Louis shrugs. "I wanted to talk to Aria in private so I took her outside. There was something on my mind and I needed her to clear the air," he explains.

While everyone else is talking to each other, Aria looks straight at Rin when she answers. "Louis could tell I was upset so he brought me outside to ask me what was wrong without putting me on the spot and I was embarrassed because you know how I am when it comes to talking to other people about myself," she explains, all in one breath, before finally gasping for air. "And when you came to get us, I was helping him up from the front stoop. We were getting ready to come back in."

"It's okay, Ari," Rin reassures her, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I believe you."

Aria blinks incredulously. "But you… you sounded really mad when you walked away," she points out.

The warmth and gentleness in Rin's voice when he replies takes Aria even more off guard. "I wasn't angry at you, Ari. You could never make me mad," he reassures her.

"But you were mad… I could tell," Aria counters.

Rin smiles reassuringly at her. "Not at you, sis. I promise."

Realization dawns on Aria then, and her eyes shoot wide open as she turns to look at Louis. "Oh! U-um…"

Yakumo still looks confused, and with good reason. "I'm missing something here," he murmurs.

"Maybe you should ask your _buddy _here, Yakumo," Rin snaps, turning a sharp eye on Louis. "You wanna explain why you were hitting on my sister?"

Louis' brows disappear into his bangs and he stares at Rin incredulously. "I'm sorry… _what_?"

As much as Aria wants to refute Rin's claim, as much as she wants to tell him how wrong he is, words immediately get caught in her throat, along with a rather large bite of lasagna. Aria coughs and gasps, gripping the table tightly as she desperately tries to dispel the bit of food from her throat.

"Whoa, easy!" Yakumo tells her, gently patting her back.

Rin doesn't seem to notice. Instead, his attention is focused on glaring at Louis. "You were holding her _hand_, Louis. And she was _flustered_," he snaps.

Confusion still etches itself across Louis' face. "Rin, she was helping me stand," he corrects.

Eyes narrowed in disbelief, Rin huffs. "Oh, right, like _that_ wasn't a part of your plan, Mr. Smooth Criminal," he mocks.

"Plan?" Louis asks, even more confused now. "What plan?"

Rin rolls his eyes. "And now he's playing innocent."

With Yakumo's help, Aria finally manages to dispel the lasagna from her throat. She doesn't get the chance to thank him, though. Instead, with a raspy voice from all the coughing she's been doing, she turns to Rin. "Rin, stop. You have the _way_ wrong idea, here," she insists.

"No, I don’t, Ari! He’s got us _both_ fooled," Rin shouts, before turning to Louis, slowly rising from his chair as he speaks. "I know exactly the type of guy you are, I used to see them all the time back in high school: the nice guys who are _always_ after something! Well, guess what, _Louis_, you’re not fu—"

"STOP!" Aria shouts, standing up. She reaches across the table and grabs Rin's arm, hauling him away from the table, without looking to see Louis and Yakumo's reactions. "Come with me. Right now."

Aria's face isn't angry, but it _is_ concerned, as she pulls Rin away from the dinner table and outside. She strategically places herself on the staircase, so Rin has to get past her and has no chance to run away, because when he realizes how wrong he is, she knows that's exactly what he'll want to do. Once they're outside and the door is closed behind them, she steps down the first step, turns toward Rin, and levels him with a calm but serious look.

"You're wrong," she says simply. "You're way off base about everything."

Rin's expression is incredulous. "Wha—Ari?" he stammers. "_Why_ are you defending him?"

Aria doesn't back down, though, because Rin needs to see how wrong he is, so the evening can still be salvaged. "Because you're wrong," she repeats. "We were out here, because he was helping me. He was giving me advice, and when you came out here, the reason I was blushing is because he was telling me about how _Yakumo_ seemed to be 'captivated' by me. He was trying to push me toward Yakumo, not flirt with me."

Frustration creeps into the edges of Rin's tone as he sticks to his guns. "Aria, stop. You don’t _have_ to defend him!"

Shaking her head adamantly, Aria levels him with a serious look. "I'm not defending him! I'm telling you what _happened_. When, in the course of our entire lives have I lied to you about anything like this?" she asks him.

Just as quickly as frustration crept into Rin's tone, it's replaced with desperation. "_Right now_," he tells her. "You _have_ to be."

Aria shakes her head, but when she speaks, her tone is gentle. "I'm not, Rin. I wouldn't lie to you," she promises. "Sunshine, he was _not_ hitting on me. He's not interested in me. Not at all. I can promise you that."

"_Aria_," Rin whines desperately.

Worry seeps in with the gentle calm of Aria's tone. "It's the truth, Rin," she tells him. "He was just being nice."

Rin pulls his face away, finally realizing the gravity of the situation, and starts pacing on the grass. Panic dances in his eyes, and Aria can hear his breathing growing harsh and erratic. "Fuck. _Fuck_! Did I do it again? Did I fucking do it again?"

Aria shakes her head. "No," she reassures him. "No you didn't, because you're still _here_."

She hurries up to him and places herself in front of him, catching his gaze and keeping his attention on her. She walks him through a couple of his breathing exercises—four, seven, eight. Four in, hold for seven, eight out—and once his breathing has evened out a little bit, she puts her hands on his shoulders and meets his eyes with a calm, gentle, loving gaze.

The look in her eyes translates into her tone when she speaks. "You can make it all go away just by going in there and apologizing, okay?" she tells him, smiling softly. "He'll understand because he's a nice guy."

Remnants of Rin's near-panic attack make him wheeze when he replies. "Okay," he nods. "Okay. _Okay_. I can do that."

Aria nods. "Yes you can, because you're Rin Nathaniel Frey, and you're amazing," she says, smiling and fixing his hair from where he combed it out of position. "If you need to calm down first, we can stay out here until you do, okay?"

Rin shakes his head. "No. No, I'm okay," he tells her. "I can do it. I'm sorry. I'll try harder."

The second the words leave Rin's lips, the lump springs back to Aria's throat. She hates the visceral reation those stupid words give her, but she hates the fact that Rin feels like he needs to say them even more. 

Aria knows what Rin means. 'Try harder' doesn't mean 'try harder not to act a fool in front of Louis,' and Aria knows it full well. In this instance, she knows that 'try harder' means that he'll try to bury his feelings, to bury his sexuality even deeper in his mind, and the fact that he thinks he has to hide from her—from _anyone_—kills her. She just wants him to be happy, and she knows that he can never be happy if he's forcing this part of him away.

She forces her emotions away for now. This isn't about her, and she isn't going to be the selfish bitch she usually is and tell Rin exactly how damaging those words are. Instead, she simply smooths her thumb along Rin's cheek.

"You go ahead. I'll be in in a second. Right behind you, okay?" She smiles, carefully curving her lips into a trained position so Rin can't see the sadness hiding just behind it, then urges him toward the door. "Go on."

Without another word, Rin leaves her in the front yard and heads back into the apartment. As soon as he's out of her sight… the dam breaks.

~

When Rin enters the apartment, Yakumo passes by him but places a supportive hand on his shoulder, flashing him the closest thing to an easy smile as he can conjure. He knows Louis will be able to help with whatever's going on in Rin's mind way better than Yakumo ever could, but it doesn't escape his notice that one person hasn't joined Rin in the apartment yet.

One important person. One _beautiful_, important person who carries the weight of the world on her shoulders but tries to hold it together for someone who can't.

Yakumo quietly steps out of the apartment, into the cool night, and looks around for Aria, but when he doesn't see her right away, he worries. He knows Rin has a habit of running off, and he wonders if maybe that extends to his sister. He casts his eyes around the front yard, listening in the quiet night for any sign of where Aria might have disappeared to. It comes in the form of a hysterical, gasping breath from the side of the house.

As Yakumo hurries toward the sound, he peers around the side of the house and his heart sinks. Aria sits in the grass with her knees pulled to her chest, making herself as small as possible—which, Yakumo thinks humorlessly, is pretty easy given how small she is already—as her body shakes with convulsive sobs.

Part of him wonders what she'll say when he makes his presence known. Will she try to pretend nothing's wrong? Will she get mad? It doesn't matter. Whatever it is, he'll deal with it. He'll let her vent her frustrations on him, because it's obvious that she can't deal with them on her own anymore.

"Aria?" he calls out gently.

Yakumo watches as she tenses, her body going rigid as she grips her knees tighter and startles at the sudden sound of his voice.

She releases her knees and turns her head away from him, wiping her eyes on the heel of her hand. "Uh… h-hey. Sorry," she says, breathing in sharply and shakily. "I know I was taking f-forever. I… I just…"

Shaking his head, he approaches her and shucks his overshirt on the way. "Don't even worry about that, okay?" he tells her as he drapes the shirt over her shoulders. The sight of how she almost drowns in it is amusing to him, but beyond a slight twitch of his lips, he doesn't show it. “I was more worried about how you shouldn't be alone right now."

Aria looks up at him, surprise obvious in her eyes. She relaxes slightly, and slides her arms into the sleeves of Yakumo's shirt, hugging it to her body. "You didn't have to. I mean… I'm… I'm okay," she insists.

With a humorless laugh, Yakumo gives her a look, gently telling her that he knows better. "Aria. You're sitting in the dark, between two apartments, crying your eyes out. That's… I hate to tell you but that doesn't exactly scream 'okay' to me," he smiles sadly.

The sound Aria makes is almost a laugh, but not quite. "We've got a regular emotion scientist on our hands," she teases, though she still sounds miserable.

"I think those are called therapists, and let me tell you, I'm about -500 percent qualified to be one of those," he jokes at his own expense, as he slides down the wall and sits in the grass beside her. "Don't have to be one to know you're not okay right now, though."

Aria wipes the undersides of her eyes again, then turns to look up at the stars. She's pointedly avoiding his gaze, and Yakumo thinks that it's probably because she doesn't want him to see her vulnerable. He understands. He hates letting people see his vulnerability, too. In a shaky tone, Aria finally replies.

"How could I be? You saw what just happened."

Yakumo's fingers twitch as he fights the urge to reach out and hold her hand, or push her curls from her face, or wipe her eyes, or _something_. He just wants to give her some sort of tangible form of comfort. He thinks better of it, though; worries about taking advantage of her when she's vulnerable.

Instead, he settles on gently telling her, "You don't have to be."

Aria shakes her head sharply. "No," she denies. "I do have to be."

"Aria—"

Aria cuts him off. "I have to. I have to be okay, and I have to be strong, because what good am I to Rin if I can't hold myself together?" she asks, her tone growing shakier by the second. Yakumo sees the gloss of tears forming in her eyes, and watches as she looks away again. "He needs me to be strong, and I… _look_ at me. I can't even hold it together for one stupid night."

Gently, encouragingly, Yakumo calls out to her. "Hey. Look at me."

Aria slowly complies, but she reaches her hand up to wipe the tears from her eyes and brush away her running eyeliner. Before she can finish, Yakumo reaches out and gently places his hand on her arm, pushing it down and moving her hand from her face. Her skin is soft and smooth beneath his callused fingers, and it takes him off guard for a minute. When his brain catches up, he meets her glossy eyes with a sad smile, before moving his hand back to his side.

"I'm not Rin. If you feel like you have to be strong in front of Rin, that's fine. But I'm not Rin. If you need to, you know… let loose? Let yourself go a little bit? I'm not gonna think any less of you for it, Aria. No one can be strong a hundred percent of the time. Everyone, every_thing_ has its limits. You shouldn't have to reach yours before you can let go of some of it."

The whole time Yakumo speaks, he holds Aria's gaze. He watches each quirk of her eyes, from curious, to disbelief, to tentative belief, to surprise. At the moment, she looks at him with gentle surprise in her eyes, and Yakumo can tell she's struggling to come up with a way to answer.

Eventually, she settles on a bitter laugh. "I don't think you know what you're signing up for Yakumo."

"I do." He pauses, then chuckles lightly. "Or maybe I don't, but it doesn't matter. I don't want to see you self-destruct because you think you have to hold onto everything yourself."

After a long silence, filled with only sniffling as her tears start to calm, Aria turns to look at him again. "I don't get how the two of you can do this," she muses.

"Do what?"

Aria gestures broadly to the area around them, as if it holds exactly the thing she's talking about. "This. Put up with us. I mean… we've known each other what, two weeks? Maybe a little more with Louis. All we've done since we met you guys is like… impose and cause drama. In spite of all that, though… here you are. Trying to comfort me. Both of you." She pauses for long enough to laugh softly, then looks up at the window over their heads. "And the level of patience Louis is showing with Rin? I don't… I don't get it. I get that you're nice and everything, but… why me? Why us?"

Yakumo feels heat spring to his cheeks and he turns his face away from Aria sharply. It isn't as though the _only_ reason he's sticking around is because of whatever feelings he's carrying for her, because he genuinely does care about her as a friend, too, but he can't deny that the magnetic pull he feels toward her is definitely a factor.

"I think that's just what friends do, Aria," Yakumo says instead.

After blinking dumbly at Yakumo for a few seconds, Aria laughs bitterly again. "I… yeah, I guess. This whole… friendship thing is sort of new to me," she admits, then looks down and absently plays with one of the buttons on his overshirt.

Confusion pinches Yakumo's brows together. "What do you mean?"

Aria sighs and leans her head back against the wall, staring at the night sky. "Didn't really have any when I was younger. Friends, I mean. I spent a lot of time alone, when I wasn't with Rin."

Yakumo blinks. At first, he finds it hard to believe. Someone like Aria, funny and smart and fun and talented and _beautiful_, should have had no trouble making friends. The world should have been chasing her, on their knees and pleading with her to just give them a moment of her time. The look on her face shows him that it's no lie, though. That both shocks and saddens him.

"What about Rin?" he asks.

She shrugs. "He had 'friends,' but they weren't real friends. They only cared for as long as he was amusing to them, you know? As long as he was cool, and 'normal.' We were… we didn't really have a solid support system, outside of each other. We moved through foster homes a lot, and none of the foster parents we had really… cared too much," she admits, casting him a sidelong glance. "Made it hard to know who to trust."

At first, Yakumo is stunned silent, but he quickly recovers, nodding and meeting her eyes levelly. "Yeah, it does," he answers.

Aria blinks. "Does?" she asks. "How would you—"

"I was a foster kid, too," he tells her. "Moved around a lot, always had lousy foster parents. I'm starting to think Vein's just a tougher place than most to be an orphan."

There's an unexpected warmth in Aria's eyes as she regards his face. She shrugs and turns to look at her knees. "I doubt it's glamorous anywhere else, Yakumo."

Yakumo laughs halfheartedly. "Yeah, you're probably right," he muses.

Aria's eyes are still on him, and he sees her expression grow softer from the corner of his eye. "So, you were a foster kid, too, huh?"

"Yeah," he answers, turning to look at her fully. "I must've moved between at least ten different houses. At least that I can remember. I'm sure there are more when I was too young, too."

Despite his desire to be open with her, his expression falls. He hates thinking about the years he spent in foster care. Vein really does have some lousy foster parents, and it makes him wonder how they even came to be foster parents if they care so little about the kids they look after. Yakumo stretches his legs slightly and casts his eyes over Aria, who is regarding him gently, warmly. 

The warmth in her eyes surprises him. Not because she's been particularly cold with him before now, but because the change somehow makes her even more beautiful. He finds his words caught in his throat, and he has to turn to look away if he wants any chance to find them.

He thinks back to foster care, how he would pick fights with foster parents just to keep them from focusing their attention on Miguel, or Riki, or Emily. Juzo Mido, in particular, was the worst. Emily was gone by then, Yakumo remembers that she'd been adopted by some well-off family, but that didn't mean his job was any easier. Miguel and Riki are smaller than him, and were even smaller when they were younger.

Quickly shaking the thought, he turns to look at Aria again, noticing that she's watching him closely.

"Uh… sorry," he laughs awkwardly. "Thinking about the time I spent in foster always sends my mind on a journey."

Aria shakes her head. "Don't be sorry," she tells him. "Kinda nice to talk to someone who gets it. Rin and I went to a lot of different houses, too. It was hard, because we're twins and we're kinda a package deal, you know? Can't have one unless you're willing to take the other."

Nodding, Yakumo laughs bitterly. "Yeah, and most of the people who came in were only ever looking for one. A perfect kid."

"Which Rin and I weren't. Not by a long shot." She laughs humorlessly. "I'm guessing by that tone that you weren't either."

Yakumo huffs a breath and shakes his head. "Not by a long shot," he parrots. "I had a, uh… 'behavioral file.' Mostly because I had a 'habit of interfering when it wasn't my place.' Which usually meant… stepping in when things got physical. Protecting my friends, you know?"

Aria's eyes shoot open, and she looks at Yakumo in shock, before her expression softens again. "That's… horrible."

With a nod, Yakumo points to the scar on his face. "It's how I got this."

"I'd wondered about that," Aria murmurs.

Shrugging, Yakumo looks down at his boots. "I mean, it's not a huge deal or anything. It was a long time ago," he tells her.

A gentle nudge takes Yakumo by surprise, and he turns to see Aria settling him with a gentle, warm gaze. "Just 'cause it was a long time ago doesn't mean it's not a huge deal. Especially if it left a scar like that on your face," she points out. "I mean, if we could just… let go of the past, I don't think Rin would be feeling the way he is right now."

With a lopsided smile, Yakumo nods appreciatively at Aria. "Man, I don't know how we went from me coming out here to comfort you, to you comforting me over things that happened forever ago, but here we are."

The smile on Aria's face looks a little more genuine than before. "Natural progression of conversation, I guess."

"Seriously, though. I know Louis and I have both said it before, but… I just want you to know that… you don't have to carry it on your own, okay?" He pauses, before finally deciding to reach his arm out and drape it loosely around her shoulders. "I know Rin's got your back, and I'm sure Louis has told you he's there for you, but… I am too. I can tell—not just because of this conversation—that you carry a lot. You're strong, but… so am I. If I can, I want to help. Make it easier, you know?"

Yakumo isn't sure what response he expects, but to have Aria hesitate for a brief moment before leaning into his side and nodding against him is definitely _not_ it. When she does, he can't help but smile.

"Thanks," Aria murmurs, though her voice is muffled against his side.

From there, they go quiet, but it's a strangely comfortable silence. Aria makes no move to push away from his side, and Yakumo doesn't push her away. For now, if the only comfort he can provide her is a hug and allowing her to lean her weight against him, he's more than happy to. Besides… having her pressed against him like that feels really nice. He looks down at her, laughing quietly when all he can see is a purple bun and a cascade of purple curls, before tightening his grip just slightly, providing her a solid envelope of comfort.

The sight of her, so vulnerable and trusting in him, despite whatever has kept her from easily giving her trust, proves one thing, beyond a shadow of a doubt. Yakumo is undoubtedly—and rapidly—falling in love with Aria Frey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've dubbed this chapter 'The Dinner Disaster' and I really feel like that's appropriate.
> 
> As Nada said, we want to give our thanks to Gilver for always leaving such wonderful comments! ♥ It means a lot!


	13. Rin (VII)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin feels like he’s performing the walk of shame. This is the second time in the three weeks he’s known Louis that he’s thrown out accusations of Louis having ulterior motives. He’s only just met the guy and already Rin has managed to embarrass the Frey name not once, not twice but three times. Three! One for every week!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe someday Lizi and I will learn how to post on the day we're supposed to post lmao!
> 
> Rin has some cleaning up to do!!

Rin feels like he’s performing the walk of shame. This is the second time in the three weeks he’s known Louis that he’s thrown out accusations of Louis having ulterior motives. He’s only just met the guy and _already _Rin has managed to embarrass the Frey name not once, not twice but _three times_. Three! One for every week! Rin tries to keep his breathing calm. He can’t afford to have a full-blown panic attack in the middle of the living room when he still has a mess to clean up. It's a battle of will, but Rin summons upon every ounce of stubbornness he has in his body to keep himself _focused _and _calm_.

The distance between him and the kitchen shortens ever so slowly, and by the time Rin feels like he’s managed to achieve some level of control over his rapidly pounding heart, he’s already by the dining table. Louis doesn’t immediately acknowledge his presence, and Rin isn’t sure if he’s grateful for that or not, but eventually, those deep red eyes turn his way. Rin feels like he’s going to hyperventilate again.

“S-sorry…” He manages with great strain. God, it feels like he’s pulling teeth. “I-I’m…” His mouth dries out and he coughs. He sits heavily onto his chair and forces himself to take a drink in an effort to regain his voice. In all the while, Louis watches him, expression carefully blank. Rin’s swallow is audible. “There… are… not enough words… to express… how stupid I’ve been to you… a-and I’m sorry… that I continue to… be a jerk to you.”

The inexplicable urge to smash his head against the table is maddening, but he resists. He’s already made a fool out of himself _and _Aria today, he doesn’t need to add more to their plates by giving himself a concussion… no matter how tempting it is. More nerve-wracking than that, though, is Louis’ silence. The way he watches Rin, devoid of any emotion, makes Rin want to move out of state, change his name and go into the witness protection program. Emily’s words from the other day filters back into his mind, but he shoves them away before they can take hold. Now is not the time to entertain whether or not Louis’ polite, sweet and gentle image is all a facade to hide the fact that he’s truly a serial killer underneath.

Louis breaks the pregnant silence with a slight hum. He shifts in his chair, glances up at the ceiling as though thinking about something before resettling his attention on Rin again. Rin flinches. Something passes through Louis’ eyes then, the first real emotion since Rin’s return, but it’s too quick for Rin to read.

“I already forgave you the moment you said you were angry with me, Rin.” He confesses simply.

Rin chokes. “N-no!” he coughs.

Louis tilts his head slightly, curiously. “No?”

“No! You _can’t _do that!”

Louis hums in contemplation again. He makes a show of rubbing his chin then stares plainly at Rin again. “I think I’m allowed to forgive someone if I so choose to.”

Rin bolts up from his chair, slamming his hands against the tabletop. “_No_, Louis, that’s not _fair_. You can’t forgive me like this. I’m—”

“I think I just did, Rin,” Louis interjects with a soft, empathetic smile. “You’re just going to have to deal with it.”

Rin watches Louis with wide-eyed disbelief. He slowly sinks back into his chair, his mouth unhinged. He snaps out of his daze and stares shamefully into his lap, a thousand and one questions whirling in his mind. Quietly, in a voice that’s barely above a whisper, he mutters: “_Why_? Why are you…” He gestures vaguely to all of Louis. “....like this?”

Louis doesn’t stop the light-hearted chuckle that escapes his lips. He quirks a playful eyebrow, the corners of his lips twitching into a small smile. “What do you mean?”

“_This_.” Rin gestures to everything around them, though he’s not really sure what _he _means by doing so. “Why are you always so… why do you even bother to deal with my bullshit? You’ve only known me for three weeks. Less than that, even.”

“I ‘bother’ because I care about you, Rin.” Rin flinches, stunned. He doesn’t understand how Louis can feel that way with a virtual stranger. They’ve only _just _met. Three weeks isn’t enough for someone to _care_. The expression on Louis’ face is stern but gentle. “I’ve been there,” He starts, voice quiet. “I may not know what it's like to transition, but I know what it’s like to be afraid of _who _you are. I know what it’s like to have those voices in your head, to have doubts. To feel like there’s something wrong with you.”

_“There’s something wrong with you” _catches sharply in Rin’s ears. He takes another step away from the table, away from Louis, and settles hardened eyes on the older boy. “There is _nothing_ wrong with me,” He hisses. “I was on the _right _path. I was _fixing_ myself. I was born wrong and when I finally got the chance to fix that, you’re telling me that I’m loving wrong too?” He reels back in horror. He didn’t mean to say it out loud, not in front of _Louis _of all people.

The urge to flee is strong, and Rin goes so far as to sweep his eyes around the room for escape routes. In his mounting panic, his mind can’t decide which way is best—through the front door or out the window—and as he struggles to decide, he misses Louis’ movements. Louis rises from the chair slowly and carefully stands by the table. One hand clutches the back of his chair tightly.

“There is _nothing _wrong with loving who you love, Rin.” Louis states firmly. “If you love women _or _men, it doesn’t matter because you’re _not _wrong._”_

“How would _you _know?” Rin snaps back. “You’re _normal_, Louis. There’s nothing wrong with you!”

The breath of laughter Louis takes startles Rin. He shakes his head gently, and when he returns his gaze to Rin, Rin can see the sorrow in his eyes.

“I’m not normal. Not in the least. When I was younger, people would call me a freak because I couldn’t _feel _attraction in the same way most people can. I still don’t. Not really.” He smiles somewhat bitterly. “I grew up believing there was something wrong with me, simply because everyone around me didn’t understand how I processed attraction. And when I was old enough, I learned the truth. There was nothing wrong with me for loving the way I do, and there’s nothing wrong with _you _for feeling the way you do. We are who we are.”

Rin watches him, eyes wide. He's stunned yet numb to it all.

“It’s normal to have doubts and to be afraid,” Louis continues gently, cautiously stepping forward. “To hate yourself… To want to be anyone but _you_.” He stops a safe distance away from Rin, but still close enough within reach. Rin doesn’t move away. He’s rooted in place, hanging on Louis’ every word. “It’s the hardest thing I ever had to do and it’ll be just as hard, maybe even harder, for you to overcome. But…” Louis holds out a hand toward Rin. “I know my words don’t mean much, and we haven’t known each other for long, but… I know what it's like to stand on the ledge and stare down at the world below. I _want _to be there for you and help...if… you’d let me.”

Rin stares between the hand and the determined, almost hopeful look in Louis’ eye. For once, his thoughts are silent.

He shakes his head, breath shaky. “Y-you’re just like Aria, always bending over backward for someone like me. I-I don’t understand either of you.”

“It’s because we both love you too much to watch you suffer,” Louis chuckles, voice soft. It’s the softest Rin has ever heard from him. There’s a layer of emotion in his tone that makes Rin’s chest feel warm. He’s so caught up in the feeling that he misses Louis’ message.

Rin takes Louis’ hand into his own and grasps it like his life depends on it. “Y-you’re crazy, you know that?”

“I’ve been told once or twice.”

They let their hands fall, though Rin can still feel the warmth of Louis’ hand lingering on his skin. He coughs the breathlessness away again and gestures toward the plates of cold lasagna.

“I, uh… would offer you to eat but…”

“It’s fine. I’m sure it’ll taste just as great reheated,” Louis smiles.

Rin rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment. “S-speaking of reheating, I… made you something. It was _supposed _to be an apology for, um…” His face grows hotter at the memory of what happened at the bar. “W-what happened last Saturday, but now I guess it’ll serve as a double apology for today too.”

The way Louis lights up at the mention of his gift stuns Rin further. No person has any business looking that happy to be receiving a gift from _him _of all people, but the vibrant smile on Louis’ face is too pure to ignore.

“You made me something?” He queries with bright, curious eyes.

An internal battle rages within Rin. On the one hand, a part of him desperately wants to give Louis the sketch he finished only a few days ago so that he doesn’t have to obsess over it anymore. On the other hand, there’s another part of him that feels what Rin has currently isn’t enough for Louis. It’s not _good _enough. Not yet.

Rin sighs, feeling exhaustion hanging heavy on his shoulders. “Yeah, and I planned on giving it to you today if I hadn’t… you know. But I think… I want to fix some things before giving it to you. I think… when it’s ready… you might like it. It’s… supposed to be a thank you and an apology gift and I want it to be...” He trails off, unsure of what to say. 'Perfect' isn’t the right word.

When he chances a glance at Louis, he’s surprised to see the startling amount of emotion in Louis’ visible eye.

“I’m honored, Rin,” Louis confesses softly. “Thank you.”

Rin flushes pink. “I-it’s the least I can do for being a pain in the ass.”

Louis laughs openly, genuinely. Beautifully.

Before Rin’s thoughts can spiral out of control again, knocking on the door catches both of their attention. Rin spots Yakumo through the window, waving casually at them both. He flashes them both a soft smile before disappearing behind the door. He cracks it open and pokes his head through the opening.

“We good to come back in yet?” He asks.

“Yeah, you’re fine,” Louis calls out.

Both Yakumo and Aria step into the living room. Aria trails behind him, hugging Yakumo’s jacket around her shoulders like it’s the most important lifeline in the world to her. She makes a beeline to Rin and throws her arms around him in a tight hug.

“I don’t know what happened, but I’m proud of you for even coming back.” She whispers into his ear.

“For a second, I didn't think I would.” Rin murmurs back.

"I knew you would," Aria replies with a weary chuckle. "I wouldn't let you _not_."

Yakumo takes that moment to approach the twins and claps Rin on the shoulder, then passes by and does the same to Louis. “So, what do you think? You guys want to reheat this food? Seems a shame to let it go to waste.”

“Yeah…” Rin says, finally pulling away from Aria’s hug. “Let’s eat.”

The rest of dinner goes without a hitch. The tension from earlier is replaced with something Rin would consider as jovial. Yakumo spares a few bad jokes that make Aria choke on her meal and earns a pity laugh from Louis. Rin watches the three of them, marveling at the ease in which they can converse with one another, despite his earlier outburst. Something warms in his chest and a sense of ease crawls down his spine. If this is what it means to have friends—a family, even—then Rin can understand why heroes from countless video games and animes advocate fiercely for it.

He laughs along with the jokes; watches the way Aria ducks into her plate when Yakumo effortlessly compliments on her cooking; tries not to blush himself when he finds Louis’ eyes on him again. The entire experience is surreal, and when the night finally comes to an end, and Rin finds himself alone again with Aria, he can’t seem to shake the sense of tranquility that blankets his shoulders.

He stares down at his hand, the very same one he used to shake with Louis, and wonders humorously, how the whole damn thing started with a simple handshake.

“He’s crazy,” Rin mumbles quietly to himself.

It must not have been quiet enough because Aria glances in his direction as she makes her way to the bathroom. “Who Louis?” She hangs Yakumo’s jacket on one of the chairs closest to the bathroom and adds, “Keep talking, I just need to take this damn makeup off.” She disappears into the bathroom, leaving the door wide open. 

Rin nods absentmindedly, though he realizes she can’t see it. “Yeah, Louis. After everything I’ve accused him of, he still just… forgives me like it was nothing. I don’t get him at all.” He sighs heavily, a dorky smile on his face.

“What's to get? He's nice.”

“Yeah, he is. He really, really is.” Rin muses. He buries his face into his hands and flops back into the couch cushions. Recalling everything up until that point, Rin knows he’s in trouble, and what he plans to do—what he plans to say in this very moment—is something he knows he won’t be able to take back, but Louis and Aria's words replay in his mind.

_“When I was younger, people would call me a freak because I couldn’t feel attraction in the same way most people can. I still don’t. Not really.”_

_“I don't think it's so much about gender with him as it is attachment. And attraction. I think he's selective. You know?”_

_Selective. _Rin muses. He thinks back to Louis’ interactions with him so far: the soft smiles, the watchful gazes, his willingness to accept Rin no matter how many times he makes a fool of himself. Louis is selective, yes, and he’s chosen Rin.

Heat crawls up the nape of Rin’s neck as the weight of his thoughts settle in his mind. He keeps his face buried into his hands but takes a deep breath. It’s now or never.

“Ari, I think I have a crush on Louis.”

He doesn’t need to look up to know Aria is already by the bathroom doorway, but he does it anyway, peeking through his fingertips just to gauge her reaction. He bursts into laughter. There she stands, with cold-cream half applied to her face and dolloped into her hand. Her eyes are comically wide and Rin can _definitely_ read the hopeful gleam in them.

“Oh?” She starts. Rin can hear the attempt at nonchalant but it fails

“What on Earth is happening to your face, sis?” He grins.

“Cold cream. Makeup remover. Not important. Circle back. Crush on Louis?” She looks into the bathroom, then beckons for Rin to follow her. “I need details.”

Still chortling, he follows her to the bathroom and leans against the door frame. “Yeah, crush on Louis. I think I have one.” His smile doesn’t last, but his good mood remains.

Aria finishes applying the cold cream to her face, and when she speaks next, Rin can tell she’s still trying to remain casual, but there’s a sense of mounting excitement belying her words. “Good. I can think of way worse guys _or_ girls to develop a crush on. Lots of them, actually.”

“I’m sorry.”

Aria glances at him curiously through the mirror. “For what?”

Rin shrugs, unsure of where to start. “For making you cry. For worrying you. I know you know. Have known for a while, I guess. Just like the first time when this—” He gestures to himself in reference to his transitioning. “—happened. And I’m… I’m really scared of what it all means but… it can’t be any worse than what I’ve already started. Thank you for putting up with my B.S.”

She smiles warmly. “I'm not putting up with anything, Sunshine. I love you. It's not 'putting up.' It's just… loving you.” She looks like she's going to cry again, but her expression is different this time. Warmer. Things are quiet for a moment as she rinses her face and tries to rinse the tears with it. “Do you want to know how _I_ feel about who you are?”

Rin nods, violet eyes wet with unshed tears.

“I think… you're Sunshine. You're handsome, smart, amazing, wonderful, kind, and perfect just the way you are. You…” She approaches him and places an affectionate hand on the side of his face. “...are the strongest man—no, the strongest _person_—I know and this doesn't change a single thing about that.”

He leans into her touch, smiling appreciatively. “I don’t deserve a sister like you, Ari.” He murmurs quietly.

“What, you saying you want to replace me?” She chuckles softly, though tears are playing at the corners of her eyes. She hugs him tightly and leans her head against his shoulder.

Rin rests his head against hers, holding her tightly. “Never. Not in a billion years.”

“Thanks, Sunshine. For being honest with me. I know how hard that had to be.” She squeezes him tighter and then pulls back, looking him in the eye with a gentle but serious look. “Can I… ask you a favor?”

“Yeah, what is it?” He asks.

“Please... stop saying you'll 'get better.' I don't _want_ you to 'get better.' I want you to be _you_. Whoever you are, that's 'better,' so you can't get 'better' when you're already perfect.”

“I can do that,” Rin says, his smile wistful.

Aria returns the smile with one of her own, though hers is much happier in comparison. “Good. Thank you.” She steps away from the bathroom door, gathers Yakumo’s jacket in her arms, and then slides it over her shoulders. “Man, I don't know what Louis said to you, but I owe him like… three thousand now.”

“Yeah,” Rin sighs serenely. “Me too.”

She glances at him, eyes curious. “So… give me details. I want details. In fact, I _need_ details.” She beams hopefully at him.

Snapping back to reality, Rin rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment. “What’s there to say? He told me he could relate and that the hardest thing he’s ever had to do was to overcome his own struggles. I asked him why he was even bothering with all this and he said it was because he cared. Obviously not in that order, but—” He shrugs again, waving a careless hand as though to further emphasize that the whole thing wasn’t a _big _deal.

“And it just… you know… got me thinking.” He frowns suddenly, feeling something nag at the back of his mind. He feels like he’s forgotten something important, but the more Rin tries to recall Louis’ exact words, the hazier it gets. “_Damn_.”

“What?” Aria frowns worriedly.

“I feel like Louis said something really important and I just… I can’t remember what it was. I feel kinda bad for forgetting something like that. I hope it wasn’t _too _important.” He grimaces, his worries intensifying. “It’s not like he reacted to anything afterward but, like, I don’t know.”

“Very on-brand, Sunshine.” Aria chuckles fondly. She plops down on the couch and crosses her legs at the knee. “It's not like it's the last time we'll see him, you know? You can just ask him next time. In class maybe, or the next time we invite him over.”

Rin joins her on the couch and hangs his head against the back cushions. “Yeah, true. I’ll just ask him next time.” Suddenly, he groans wearily. “I hope this crush thing goes away soon though, I _really _don’t want to make a bigger fool of myself in front of Louis than I already have.”

Aria pats Rin on the head. “Even if it doesn't, who cares? He's a cutie. It makes perfect sense that you'd be into him.”

Rin buries his face into his palms again. “He’s never allowed to wear that shirt ever again in my presence. It’s too low cut for me, I can’t handle it. I was choking on his sex appeal all through dinner, Ari.”

“I dunno, I think you handled it perfectly fine.” She smirks. “Man, can you _believe_ Emily thought he was boring? Or 'too nice' or creepy or whatever it was you said she said?”

Sighing, Rin drops his hands again. “Honestly, I’m not surprised she said that. Louis is too hot, too nice, and too smart to be real.”

Without warning, Aria hugs Rin again, happily laughing into his shoulder. He pats her on the back, resigned to his destiny as the pining fool of both genders. First Eva and Jack, now Louis? Rin doesn’t think he can handle anymore crushes at this point.

“I know you’re super ecstatic for me right now, and it’s… both weird and extremely liberating to talk like this, but I swear on my life if you tell Louis I think he’s hot, I’m disowning you. For life. I’ll run away and take the train out of the country. I’ll change my name and my identity and you’ll never be able to find me.”

“I would never.” She smirks. “But if I _did_, I'd still be able to find you. I think you underestimate the twin connection.” Aria gets up from the couch and heads into the kitchen. Rin watches as she cleans up the last remnants of dinner.

Without her preoccupying the space beside him, Rin takes that moment to sprawl across the couch again. He knows she’s right. Their twinly connection has always worked against him and he suspects, even if he did somehow manage to flee the country, she’d _always _find him.

“First,” She starts, her tone amused. “You’d go to England, to see all those little Harry Potter sights. Then, when I found you there, you'd run to France.” She glances over her shoulder, pointing a soapy finger at him. “Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, all that hella romantic stuff for the hella romantic fool you are. Then, Spain. See the matadors, all the beautiful architecture Spain has to offer.” She beams smugly. “Need I go on?”

“_No_.” Rin pouts. “I get it. You’re a Rin locator.” He sticks out his tongue at her.

Aria laughs, then turns back to the dishes pensively. “Who knew all it would take was college to find us… actual good friends?” She muses out loud.

Rin gazes up at the ceiling contemplatively. “Yeah, who woulda thought?”

“Do you think they'd want to make this a weekly thing? Weekly dinner and games and chat?” She hums thoughtfully.

“I don’t know, you’ll have to ask. I don’t think they’d mind, personally.”

“Or… _you _could ask them.” Aria grins, pointing a finger gun at him.

Rin sits up slowly and fixes her a deadpan expression. “I mean, _you’re _the one wondering so maybe _you _should ask them.” He doubles his finger guns with a snarky smile.

Aria scoffs playfully. “I mean, I've asked them both times so maybe it's _your_ turn.” She repeats her finger guns, this time with more emphasis.

“You’re the chef, so—” He flutters his lashes and smiles cheekily.

“Rin.” Aria sighs wearily. “They’re gonna think I’m desperate.”

He rolls his eyes playfully. “Okay, how about this. I’ll ask Yakumo. You ask Louis. That way, we don’t have to talk to our respective crushes and make fools of ourselves.”

“Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, back the fun bus up. _You_ are the only one in this house with a crush.” She crosses her arms at her chest and shakes her head adamantly. “I mean, I'll ask Louis for you but I do _not_ have a crush on Yakumo.”

Rin, with a victorious smile, doesn’t grace Aria with a response in regards to her crush. Instead, he says, “Thank you, Ari~ You’re the best sister ever, I love you!”

She huffs in defeat. “You’re lucky _I _love _you _so much, you brat.” She sticks her tongue out at him.

Rin merely laughs.


	14. Aria (VII)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aria scoffs. "There are not enough adjectives in the English language to describe how wrong you are," she tells him flatly.
> 
> "But there are exactly _twenty-seven_ to describe your feelings for him, and every single one of them applies to how you were last night, soooo… _gotcha_!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which both twins are in denial about something or another.

_I should probably return this jacket._

The thought has crossed Aria's mind no fewer than three dozen times over the course of the day. The jacket is massive on her, she swims in it even more than she swims in Rin's clothing. If she cinches the middle, she can almost wear it as a dress. She has to roll the sleeves up just to function like a normal human being and it sags on her shoulders and makes her look like a child wearing their parent's clothing. She shouldn't want to wear it as much as she does.

Something about the feeling of it draped over her is comforting, though. It smells pleasant, like Yakumo's cologne, and it's warm and way more comfortable than her own jackets. It's almost as comfortable as Rin's long-sleeved shirts when she steals those. Is it so wrong for her to want to hold onto that comfort for a little while longer?

Still, she knows she should give it back. Tomorrow. At work. It'll have to wait until then, anyway, because she doesn't even know where Yakumo lives.

Aria smiles happily as she walks up the front steps and reaches for the doorknob. She expects it to be unlocked; expects Rin to be home on the couch, waiting for her like he always is. However, when she reaches down and the doorknob doesn't turn, she quirks her head curiously. She reaches into her bag for her keys, and makes quick work of unlocking the door to push it open. The apartment is empty, which is strange, but at the same time, she thinks maybe she should have expected it.

After the big talk with Louis yesterday, Aria is sure Rin is spending some time with his crush after school. The thought makes her smile warmly. No matter what she does, she'll never be able to thank Louis properly for giving Rin the comfort needed to start being honest with himself. She kicks the door closed and heads to the kitchen, immediately setting to work with putting a snack together for Rin's return. Some double fudge brownies and freshly baked garlic breadsticks will do the trick nicely, she thinks.

As she turns her Spotify playlist on, she seeks out the right song to describe her mood for the day, she smiles when it comes to her easily.

It isn't long before she finds herself singing along as she moves around the kitchen. "_Those days of warm rains come rushing back to me, miles of windless summer night air. Secret moments shared in the heat of the afternoon, out of the stillness, soft-spoken words…_"

The tranquility of the music immediately crumbles when the door bursts open and Rin shouts, "I'M HOOOME!"

Aria jumps and spins toward Rin, but her surprise immediately turns into a smile when she catches sight of the look on his face. He looks… happy. "Why yes, yes you are," she agrees with him, leaning against the kitchen counter. 

"Oh! Ari, I didn't realize you were home!" Rin kicks the door closed and dumps the box of art supplies onto the coffee table. "You're home early."

With a smirk, Aria gives Rin an amused look. "You… didn't realize I was home, but you were yelling into what you thought was an empty house?" she asks as she slides the two baking pans into the oven. "I'm not home early, b-t-w. You're home late. Later than usual, anyway. How's Louis today?"

Rin steps into the kitchen, and Aria can feel his eyes burning a hole in the back of her head as he watches her. "I dunno," he answers simply. "Whatcha makin'?"

"Brownies and breadsticks," Aria answers simply, then pauses, leaning against the counter and quirking her head at him. "What do you mean you don't know? Isn't that where you were?" she asks.

Elegantly shoving over half a candy bar into his mouth, Rin shrugs. Through full cheeks, he answers, "No. After I finished classes, I went straight to the art room." He chews and swallows the candy bar, then puts the rest of it into his mouth. "When will the brownies be ready?"

Aria laughs softly. "I literally just put them in, Sunshine. So, half an hour, maybe?" She peers over at the coffee table curiously. "The art room, huh? One can assume you've got a new project in the works, then?"

It's absolutely adorable, the way Rin perks up as he swallows the last half of his candy bar. "Yeah! I was asked to make a banner, so I borrowed some art supplies!" he answers eagerly. “Among other things.” 

"A banner!" Aria claps her hands together excitedly, then hops up to sit on the kitchen counter. "What for?"

To say that she's relieved to hear Rin getting involved with projects around school is the biggest understatement ever. She knows he'd prefer to stay home most of the time, and she hates that he feels the need to hide himself from people. Rin is a wonderful, amazing person, so the fact that he's out and about socializing with people brings her a lot more happiness than it probably should.

Rin's smile is as contagious as ever, and Aria can't help but smile at the way he launches eagerly into the tale. "It’s actually kind of a funny story. I was planning on coming home after class and just play video games when you got home but one of the professors—uh, I think her name was Mamamiya or something?—came up to me and asked if I was any good at art. I told her I really wasn’t, but I asked her why she was asking and she told me she was looking for an art student to help her with a banner. I was like 'Okay, I can do banners. What are you looking for?' and she was like—" he raises the pitch of his voice to match a woman's, "—'I need something creative for a surprise party,' and I was like 'Dope, I can do that.'"

When he finally pauses, he smiles at her with happiness she hasn't seen from him in a long, long time. "She promised to pay me."

The last name sounds very similar to Louis' last name, she realizes, but she decides not to point it out right away, in favor of showing her pride in her brother. "You're getting paid! For your art!" she beams at him. "I'm so proud of you!"

Rin grabs a sketchbook and flips through the pages. "Mhm! I already have some ideas, but I'm not exactly sure what kind of 'surprise party' she's looking for, you know? I didn’t get the chance to ask her before she left. She was kind of in a hurry. Said something about having to meet her baby brother or something. Baby sister? Baby something," he waves his hand dismissively.

Baby brother. Like Louis. A little, conspiratorial grin crosses Aria's face. "What'd you say her last name was again?" she asks.

Without looking up from the sketchbook, Rin shrugs. " M-Mamiya? Monamiya? Mamamiya?—I don’t know, it sounded very theater-esque. Like that musical that people like to sing that gets really annoying after a while?"

Aria laughs. "Or a horribly mispronounced Italian restaurant," she muses, but the grin on her face grows ever-wider. "Or… a Rin-ism of Louis' last name. Which, b-t-w, you should remember is Amamiya."

Rin's face morphs from a confused frown to a roll of his eyes. Aria can clearly read the undertones, and she can almost hear him calling her silly. "His name isn't _Amamiya_, Ari," he says, putting a bratty amount of emphasis on the last name. "Also, I don't know what a Rin-ism is, but it sounds terrible."

"Well them, Captain Linguistics of the S.S. Know-It-All, if his last name isn't Amamiya, what is it?" she asks, leveling him with a look that screams 'you're wrong and I know it.'

Rin blatantly ignores Aria's expression, and shrugs his shoulders like the answer is the most obvious thing in the world. "It's _Mittleman_, duh."

The way Aria doubles over with laughter and almost falls from the counter is completely involuntary. "No, Sunshine," she gasps out between bouts of helpless giggles. "It isn't. I promise you, it's Amamiya."

"No, I’m pretty sure it’s not. I have a class with him, ya know," Rin says, clearly bristling.

Aria is undaunted in the face of Rin's irritation. She still smiles, and shrugs. "You also have his number. So you could clear this up really fast. Give you a chance to prove me wrong, for once!" she smiles a too-sweet smile.

It's more than comical, the dramatic way Rin pulls a chair from the table and sits down. "_Okay then Princess_—" He pulls his phone out, never once breaking eye contact with Aria.

A scoff passes through Aria's lips unbidden. "_Princess_, he says!" she grumbles, scandalized.

Never before in her life could Aria say she'd seen someone dial a phone indignantly, but that's exactly what she's seeing as she watches Rin scroll through his contacts, pointedly press a button, and then turn the speakerphone on. He levels her with a playful glare and, the fire of determination flickering in his eyes for quite possibly the most insipid reason Aria has ever heard before.

"I'm about to prove you wrong, Sugar Queen," he postures as the phone rings.

Aria slides down from the counter and starts singing to herself. "_A dream is a wish your heart makes when you're fast asleep…_" As soon as her feet hit the floor, she starts waltzing with an invisible partner. "_Sunshine is dreaming that he's right, and when he learns he is wrong he will weep._"

Rin rolls his eyes. "No, I won't, because I'm right."

Before Aria can come up with a sufficiently witty answer, Louis' voice comes through the phone. "Hello?" It's hard to miss the eagerness in his tone.

Aria only stops waltzing around the kitchen long enough to raise her hand and wave at the phone, like Louis can see her. "Hi Louis!" she calls out.

A chuckle comes from the phone, ringing out through the living room. "Hi, Aria…" he answers, sounding confused for a second.

Rin rolls his eyes for the third time. "Louis, it’s me. I have a weird question to ask. Please don’t ask why," he says. Before Louis has a chance to respond, Rin launches right into the question. "Is your surname Amamiya or Mittelman?"

After a brief pause, Louis answers, though he sounds more confused than before. "Last time I checked, it was Amamiya," he muses.

The second the answer escapes, Aria spins in place and points at Rin in triumph. "Boo-yeah!"

"A-are you sure?" Rin asks, feebly clinging to the hope of winning their little competition.

Once again, Louis chuckles. "Pretty sure," he answers, still amused.

Rin looks at the phone like somehow he thinks this is all an elaborate prank Aria and Louis have organized. "You're not fucking with me, are you?"

Louis seems surprised when he answers, but he's still amused. "Still pretty sure, Rin."

"Maybe you should check your birth certificate. Make sure it's not Mittleman or Kurusu or something," Rin says, starting to sound a little desperate.

Aria laughs as she pulls the oven open and checks the food inside. "Sunshine…" she murmurs in amusement.

"No, I'm absolutely certain. It's Amamiya," Louis answers.

Before anyone else can make another sound, Rin cuts the conversation short with a speedy, "Okay, thanks, bye!" and hangs the phone up. He turns to Aria, his expression flat. "Okay, so you were right. Doesn't mean they're related. Just means Amamiya is a more common surname than we thought," he says. His phone vibrates on the table with a text he doesn't bother to read.

Aria furrows her brow. "Wait, but he does have a sister, doesn't he?" she asks, pushing her hair behind her ear. "What did she look like?"

Rin perks up. "Really hot! Like, in a professional sort of way. Really cute short, dark brown hair; pretty red-brown eyes. I’m telling you Ari, she was turning heads when she came up to me!" he rambles.

With an exaggeratedly ponderous look on her face, Aria tilts her head from side to side like she's pretending to think. She taps her chin and hums. "Gee. That sounds oddly familiar to me. Almost like… a female version of Louis."

"Impossible. They're not related," Rin deadpans.

Aria's eyes narrow incredulously. "_How is it impossible_?" she asks. "Do I need to grab your phone and call Louis myself this time?"

As Aria crosses the room, Rin carefully tucks his phone back into his pants pocket. "No. And it's impossible because Louis is _hot_, but Miss Mamiya was like, _hotter_. Like, if you put the two of them together, that’s a level of hotness that cannot be achieved. So, no. They’re not related. Two hot things next to each other cancels out the hotness. Louis said he had a sister but did not confirm if she was older or younger, therefore, I’m going to believe he has a younger sister," he announces simply.

With an exasperated huff, Aria gives Rin a pointed look. "Rin. _Ask him_. Or _I_ will. I still have that screenshot of the text conversation you sent me with his number on it. I can and will," she tells him plainly.

Rin meets Aria's eye with a heap of false bravado on his face, like he expects her to back down. "Then do it, Sugar Queen."

Unfortunately for Rin, Aria is completely undaunted by the impending conversation. "Kay," she says simply as she pulls her phone out and searches for the screenshot. She memorizes the number quickly. From the table, Rin makes a noise that's an impressive imitation of a steaming teakettle, but Aria still doesn't stop. "Once again, your hubris is going to get the better of you, Sunshine."

As the phone starts ringing, Aria hits the speaker button and sets it down on the counter beside her. A few seconds pass, and Louis' voice comes through the speakers, sounding much more serious this time around. "Hello?" he greets.

Aria laughs softly. "Hi, Louis. It's Aria. I'm sorry, but you've been pulled into this whole… thing with Rin and me," she says, turning to glance at her brother, who is still making those same teakettle noises. "Your sister. She's older, isn't she?"

In the same confused, but amused tone, Louis replies, "Yes, by a few years."

"And does she, by any chance, work at Vein U?" Aria asks.

Louis hums an affirmative answer. "Yeah, she works for the nursing department," he explains. “Aria? I think your teakettle is ready. If you let it steam for too long, you’ll run out of water for your tea.”

Aria laughs. "Oh, that's not the teakettle, it's Rin," she answers simply.

Rin stops screaming at the mention of his name. Louis bursts into laughter.

The smile on Aria's face is wider than she remembers giving in a long time. "Okay. Last question. Well… questions," she muses with a chuckle. "Does she know that Rin's an artist, and would she, by any chance, have reason to ask him to make a banner for her?"

Louis' laughter suddenly stops, and the other line goes silent for a few long seconds. "I did tell her about Rin's talents, but I'm…" he trails off, then sighs softly. "Is it alright if I call you back, Aria?"

"Of course!" Aria answers good-naturedly. She's about to say goodbye, but a thought crosses her mind, and she gasps. "Oh! While I have you, though, I had a completely unrelated question that you can answer super quick! Do you think you and Yakumo would be interested in making Wednesday night dinner at the Frey Apartment a weekly thing? I can't promise they won't all be as disastrous as the last one was, but I can promise some good meals and some fun games," she muses.

Surprise drips from Louis' tone when he answers. "Oh! Of course, if it's no trouble for you! That sounds like it would be nice!"

Aria smiles. "Cool. Alright, I'll talk to you later, Louis!" she tells him, and once he says his goodbyes and they hang up, she turns to Rin with a triumphant smirk. "I believe that makes today's score Aria: 3, Rin: 0."

"This proves nothing," Rin deadpans.

Scoffing, Aria crosses her arms at her chest. "Are you serious?"

Rin doesn't answer. Instead, he looks her over, then pauses when he settles on the jacket she's still wearing. The way his lips curl into a Cheshire smile is almost unnerving. The Little Brother Smile is troubling in many, many ways, especially when said little brother is a gremlin, like Rin.

"What?" she asks.

The faux-innocence on Rin's face just unnerves Aria more. "Oh, no," Rin says in a saccharine voice, his smile curling higher in a familiar look which never bodes well. "Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Nothing at all!"

Aria's eyes narrow suspiciously. "So, you're ready to admit defeat then?" she asks.

Chuckling darkly, Rin shakes his head. "No, because there’s no defeat to be had. You on the other hand," he muses, perching his chin on his palm. "Oh, Ari. My dear, sweet, naive, innocent sister, you have a story to tell!"

Blinking, Aria shakes her head. "Uh… no I don't? I literally just went to class and came home today. I didn't like… get stopped by a _special friend's_ older sister and asked to do an art project for them, so…" She shrugs. "No stories."

"Oh but my dear, sweet, naive, innocent sister, you do have a story to tell. It starts and ends with—" He raises his voice to a high-pitched mockery of Aria's voice, "—_Yakumo_."

Once again, Aria shakes her head. "I didn't actually see him today," she insists. "Like I said… to class, straight home."

Rin shrugs. "I’m not talking about today. I’m talking about yesterday. Did you guys hook up or what? You’re wearing his jacket. You had it with you last night too," he points out.

The implication is honestly a little bit offensive. There is absolutely no chance that Aria would sneak off to have sex with Yakumo while Rin was dealing with a crisis like he was, and the fact that he thinks that she would bothers her more than she's willing to admit. Aria decides not to point that out right now, in favor of setting the record straight. 

"Wh— I… no, we didn't _hook up_! Are you serious? Like I'd do that while you were inside trying to smooth things over with Louis!" She scoffs, unable to keep some of the offense from her tone. 

Rin frowns in confusion. “Uh, yeah, I know you wouldn’t. I meant ‘hook up’ as in dating not… whatever the hell you’re thinking of.”

Aria freezes. She blinks a couple times, realization dawning on her as her cheeks heat up. "O-oh. I… I'm sorry," she bites her lip, then turns her back to focus on the brownies and breadsticks in the oven, rather than seeing the look on Rin's face. "Well, we… we didn't do that, either. I just… he lent me the jacket last night, and I just forgot to give it back. That's all."

If Rin acknowledges her tone in any way, she can't see it. She pokes a toothpick into the brownies to see how close they are to done, before turning to look back at her brother. "Nothing other than a little conversation between friends," she tells him with a smile. It's about half-genuine.

Some lingering sadness still remains in Rin's eyes, but it's obvious that he's trying to push it away when he answers. "And then you decided that a weekly dinner with them would be fun, so _I_ think you have a crush on him and aren't willing to face it yet," he says, a cheeky smile spreading across his face.

Aria scoffs. "There are not enough adjectives in the English language to describe how wrong you are," she tells him flatly.

"But there are exactly _twenty-seven_ to describe your feelings for him, and every single one of them applies to how you were last night, soooo… _gotcha_!"

Heat rushes across Aria's cheeks, and she turns her back again, refusing to face Rin. "Rin, no. I don't have a crush on him. He was just… being nice to me, that's all," she insists. As she glances down at the floor, her mind conjures a memory of the softness in his eyes when he looked at her the night prior. "Did you know… he's like us?"

"Like us?" Rin asks. "You mean… hopelessly disastrous?"

Aria laughs bitterly, then turns her head to look at Rin. "No. No one's quite as hopeless as we are, Sunshine," she muses, glancing down at the hardwood floor. "He was in the system, too. Moved foster homes a lot, just like we did."

"Oh," Rin replies quietly.

Nodding, Aria lifts her head again. "Yeah. He said he had a 'file' because he used to… he said he got in between his friends and some of his foster parents when things got 'physical,'" she explains with a frown.

All Rin can manage in reply is a grimace.

"He told me that's how he got the scar on his face." She shrugs one shoulder, then leans back against the counter. "It makes sense. He's the type, you know? Protects without thinking. Like he did for me in the bar that night."

Rin nods. "Yeah. I wonder… I wonder how that went down," he muses sadly. "That scar is pretty…"

"Deep?" Aria supplies.

"Y-yeah."

Aria shrugs. "I didn't ask," she explains. "I don't think he… really wanted to talk about it? I mean, I didn't really want to talk much about our foster experience, either, so I get it."

Rin simply nods.

Fighting back a smile, Aria shrugs. "It's nice, though. Knowing there's someone else around who gets it," she explains, then pauses and meets Rin's eye. "Makes it easier to talk to him, you know? Easier to trust him."

With a nod, Rin voices his agreement. "Yeah, definitely."

"I felt… really comfortable with him last night," she admits, trying to fight off a blush. The heat in her cheeks tells her she has as much success as she ever does: not much at all. "That's why I'm wearing the jacket still. Sort of… trying to hold on to a sliver of that comfort for as long as I can. Not because of any, like… crush or anything. I'll give it back to him tomorrow."

Rin smirks slyly. "Uh-huh," he answers flatly.

"I don't have a crush on him, Rin," she says, though she's not sure who she's trying to convince more, herself or him.

Sly smirk still ever-present on his face, Rin muses, "I believe you."

Aria laughs softly and nervously. "You don't _look_ like you believe me," she points out.

The smirk turns to a Cheshire smile. "I _totally_ believe you," he teases her.

Crossing her arms at her chest, Aria huffs. "Fine, if it'll prove to you that I don't have a crush on him, I'll take the dumb jacket off!" she announces, before shrugging it from her shoulders, and immediately shivering because she's been wearing it all day and the sudden cold surprises her.

Her brother's expression doesn't change.

"I don't!" Aria insists, hanging the jacket on one of the kitchen chairs. "See?"

Rin hums in acknowledgment, but the smirk remains. He turns his attention back to his sketchpad and continues flipping through the pages.

Huffing in irritation, Aria tries to rub warmth back into her arms. "Even if I _did_, which I _don't_, it doesn't matter. Like… at all," she points out. 

"Might wanna tell him that, then," Rin supplies.

Aria's brow furrows. "Uh, he knows? Considering I'm not his type? Guys like him don't go for girls like me. Ever. It's just a fact of life," she explains, though Rin should already know that.

Rin still flips through his sketchbook. "Not according to what I saw last night," he explains, before lifting his sketchbook and showing her the page he settled on.

The image takes her completely off guard. It's a roughly drawn sketch, but it's still _amazing_ (of course it is, it's Rin's work, after all). Displayed clearly on the page is Yakumo, looking at Aria with complete awestruck amazement in his eyes. The Yakumo on the page practically has stars in his eyes, and Aria can't believe Yakumo had actually looked at her that way. There's no way. Rin had to be imagining things.

"Don't think that's the look a guy would give to a girl that's 'not his type,'" Rin concludes.

Aria is quiet, contemplative, as she looks at Rin. She knows he's been known to draw what he sees, but there's no way this is the real deal. She swallows thickly and bites her lip, before finally trying to speak up. "Okay, but… you could've been imagining it."

As Rin lowers the book, he shakes his head. "No. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the times I’ve made you cry or the times you’re genuinely happy. This—" Rin taps the page, "—this I won’t forget."

Blinking dumbly, Aria worries her lip again. "O-okay. So he thinks I'm cute. That doesn't mean I'm his _type_, Rin. Type is about more than physical appearance," she points out with a shrug, then huffs a heavy breath before plucking the jacket back from the chair and throwing it back over her shoulders. "I'm not gonna freeze just to prove a point that doesn't need proving."

Rin hums knowingly.

She turns to Rin with a straight face. "Sunshine." When Rin looks at her curiously, she continues. "I don't have a crush on him. And there's no way he has a crush on me."

The look on Rin's face doesn't change. "Okay, I believe you," he answers, before going back to his sketch.

Concern spreads across Aria's features. She knows she's lying, but she's absolutely terrified of admitting to the possibility that she might have—okay, definitely has—feelings for Yakumo. He's a good, genuine, decent guy. She doesn't have a lot of experience with guys like that. She decides to focus her energy on baking for now, and also decides that she should _definitely_ give Yakumo his jacket back at work tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week, we're gonna have something of an order change for the chapters! Get hype! We're about to get into the thick of it!


	15. Aria (VIII)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Wow. That was smooth. You practice that one in the mirror?" Aria smiles teasingly.
> 
> Pink dusts Yakumo's cheeks, and he turns to look at the bar, focusing on wiping a single spot clean. "If I said I did, would you laugh me out of the bar?"
> 
> Aria is taken off guard, but also amused. In that moment, she decides that Yakumo looks really good when he's flustered. Normally, he's the portrait of a tough guy, and that's definitely attractive, sure, but there's something charming about the way he's blushing and trying to avoid Aria's gaze right now. Shy looks good on him, and the way he's smiling makes butterflies flit around in Aria's stomach.
> 
> "Nah. Takes a real man to admit when he practices his smooth pick-up lines in the mirror." She silences any further response with a slow sip from her drink.
> 
> With a grin, Yakumo shrugs. "That's me. A real man," he nods sagely, then laughs softly.

After the week Aria's had, it feels amazing to be onstage, letting out some of that built up energy. She and the band had agreed to add a few more songs to the set, all of which went over pretty well with the crowd, so as the show winds down with a performance of 'Heartbreaker' by Pat Benetar, Aria feels like she's on top of the world. She exudes that same 'crazy energy' Yakumo told her she has, and spins and dances around the stage like a professional. A few times, during lulls at the bar, she sees Yakumo watching her and she can't help but amp up the performance in an attempt to keep his attention for bit longer.

Maybe it's cunning. Maybe it's a little underhanded. But the way he looks at her and grins bashfully as she sings right to him makes her stomach flip somersaults in her gut.

"_Your love is like a tidal wave, spinning over my head; drownin' me in your promises, better left unsaid. You're the right kind of dreamer to release my inner fantasy; the invincible winner, and you know that you were born to be…_"

Maybe she's playing her cards a little too obviously. If the way the little smirk on his face spreads a little further is any indication, he doesn't seem to mind too much. She continues through the chorus, dancing around on stage again, banging her head a little bit and completely destroying the work Rin had put into her hair earlier. In a lull, she glances at Yakumo across the room again. He presses his lips together and glances down at the bar, wiping invisible dust. Aria thinks, maybe, it's a way to avoid her gaze. Does that mean she's getting him flustered?

A little more confidence builds in her chest, and she moves on to the next verse.

"_Your love has set my soul on fire, burnin' out of control; you taught me the ways of desire, now it's takin' its toll! You're the right kind of sinner to release my inner fantasy; the invincible winner, and you know that you were born to be…_"

Unfortunately—or maybe fortunately, Aria isn't quite sure—a customer grabs Yakumo's attention before the flirtation can continue any further. Aria goes about the rest of the performance like normal, but a few times over the course of the rest of the song, she does cast a few looks Yakumo's way, to see that he's still glancing at her when he has a spare second. The fact that she has his full attention makes her feel… good. Way too good.

"_You're a heartbreaker, dream maker, love taker, don't you mess around with me…_"

She finishes the performance and thanks the bar patrons, then leaves the stage with the band. All through their brief review of what songs do and don't work, her attention is a bit… distracted. She gathers Yakumo's coat from the coat rack, but doesn't put it on. She's sweaty and gross from jumping and dancing around on stage, and she doesn't want to ruin the jacket if she's about to give it back to him.

While the drummer talks about possibly replacing 'I Want You To Want Me' with 'Criminal,' she's only paying half attention. She glances out the cracked open door from backstage to the bar, hoping to catch a glimpse and see if he's waiting for her.

"Aria, you with us?" Daryl asks.

Aria blinks to attention. "Uh… yeah! Sorry. I'm fine with that." She smiles sheepishly, shaking one of her ponytails over her shoulder.

After eyeing her suspiciously, Daryl turns back to the rest of the band. "Okay. We'll test it out tomorrow night, then. See if people like it. Get outta here, everyone. Good work."

The moment Daryl dismisses her, she stands up. She holds Yakumo's coat in her hand and eases her way out of the stage door, making her way to the bar. Yakumo is with a customer, so she sits on the far side, on the last available barstool, placing his jacket on top of her skirt and leaning against the wall as she waits.

It doesn't take long for him to notice her. He grins and waves, delivers the last round of drinks to a couple of people Aria recognizes from campus, and then moves his way down to the edge of the bar, to her.

Yakumo's eyes are warm, but sheepish. "Hey, Heartbreaker," he replies, a grin creeping across his face.

It threatens to make her blush, but she manages to keep it together. Aria meets his eyes, a grin of her own spreading across her face. "Hey, Dream Maker," she retorts.

"You were dynamite up there, as usual," Yakumo tells her. "Still can't believe this is only your third time onstage."

With a smirk, Aria shrugs. "And yet, it is." She brushes her hair behind her ear. "Thanks. Is last call _officially_ over, or can I get a Blue Hawaiian?"

Yakumo shakes his head. "Nah, it's over in about two minutes, which makes you my last drink of the night." He holds his index finger up, wordlessly telling her to wait, then gathers the drink ingredients. Within a few seconds, he's back in front of her and starting to mix her drink. "So, how's your brother? After everything, I mean."

"He's… really good, actually," Aria says with a smile, glancing down at her hands. She catches a glimpse of his coat, reminding herself that she has to return it. "I've never really seen him quite so happy. Louis has been great for him, just like I thought. Exactly the kind of friend he needed."

Smiling warmly again, Yakumo nods. "Good." He shakes the mixer, then pours her drink into a glass. As he garnishes it, he turns to her again. "What about you? You look like you're doing better."

She nods. "I am. When Rin's happy, you can usually safely assume I'm happy right along with him," she explains. 

He offers the drink across the counter and she accepts it, immediately busying herself with taking a sip to buy herself some time to come up with something to say. After she swallows it down, she sets the glass on the counter and picks his coat up.

"Here, by the way. You kind of, uh… left it on me the other night," she offers with a laugh as she hands the coat over the bar.

Yakumo shrugs. "I know." He gently pushes her hand back across the bar. "You can hang onto it for now, how does that sound?"

Aria blinks. "Huh?"

As Yakumo cleans the shaker cup, he peers at her with a nervous smile. "I just remember how you almost seemed to, y'know, relax when I put that on you. Thought maybe you could hold onto it. If you want."

Is he implying that she can keep it? Aria simply stares blankly at him. She can't deny how happy the concept of keeping the coat makes her. She's unable to hide a grin as she starts to lower her arm. 

"You sure?" she asks.

Yakumo nods. "Yeah. I've got a few more coats I can wear."

A playful smirk pulls the corners of her lips upward. "Wow. What a charmer. Giving me the literal coat off his back, and then telling me I could keep it. You do this for all the girls?" 

Immediately, her mind taunts her, reminding her of Emily and how adamant she'd been about her closeness with Yakumo. It's hard to tamp down the jealousy she feels, but she manages somehow. That same dark corner of her mind wonders if she had a whole closet of Yakumo's coats. Or maybe even a shrine, like that one girl on Hey Arnold. 

Yakumo's voice snaps her out of her thoughts. "Nope. Just the special ones," he answers, his head ducked bashfully.

"Wow. That was smooth. You practice that one in the mirror?" Aria smiles teasingly.

Pink dusts Yakumo's cheeks, and he turns to look at the bar, focusing on wiping a single spot clean. "If I said I did, would you laugh me out of the bar?"

Aria is taken off guard, but also amused. In that moment, she decides that Yakumo looks really good when he's flustered. Normally, he's the portrait of a tough guy, and that's definitely attractive, sure, but there's something charming about the way he's blushing and trying to avoid Aria's gaze right now. Shy looks good on him, and the way he's smiling makes butterflies flit around in Aria's stomach.

"Nah. Takes a real man to admit when he practices his smooth pick-up lines in the mirror." She silences any further response with a slow sip from her drink.

With a grin, Yakumo shrugs. "That's me. A real man," he nods sagely, then laughs softly.

Aria purses her lips. "And there go all those 'real man' points," she teases. "A real man doesn't need to tell a girl he's a real man. He should let her make all the inferences on her own. Rin could teach you a thing or two about being a real man, Heartbreaker."

Yakumo smirks at her. "I don't doubt it," he answers. A few seconds pass, and he nods toward the door. "So, you ready to get out of here?"

She nods. "Yeah, let's go, Dream Maker."

With a smile, she pulls his coat—her coat now—over her shoulders, and the pair of them walk out of the bar together. The streets are busy again, slowly filling with people as they file out of various bars on the Vertigo Strip—what the locals call Vein's road lined with most of the town's bars and hotspots. Some of the people are the same ones Aria recognizes from last week. She muses to herself that there's no sign whatsoever of the Drunk Bro who'd tried to hit on her, and then hit her, last week.

She casts a sidelong glance at Yakumo and smiles. He may be sweet—and he's definitely one of the sweetest guys Aria has ever known in her life—but he's also strong. He's got muscle, but he's not a musclehead idiot. She eyes his muscles as he puts his hands in his pants pockets. They're not bulging, thankfully, but Aria remembers how she'd felt when he put his arm around her. His grip was firm but gentle, and his side was warm, the muscles firm but comfortable as she leaned against them.

As they walk, Aria's mind wanders back to an observation Rin made last Saturday about the size of certain… other parts of his body.

Something about the way he carries himself leads Aria to believe that Rin is absolutely right. He's confident, but he's got just the right level of shyness to him to draw Aria in. He's kind and self-sacrificing, he's smart but not obnoxious about it… it all compiles to massive 'big dick energy.' Aria bites her lip and forces herself to look away before she can theorize any more. Too much more theorizing and the walk home would turn into a very embarrassing situation for both of them.

Yakumo turns to her with a smile. "So, Louis tells me that you want to make dinners like the one on Wednesday a weekly thing?"

Aria jumps and swallows the lump that has formed in her throat. Quickly assembling her thoughts and trying to chase her mind from that dangerous rabbit hole, she nods and turns to look back to Yakumo. 

"Uh… yeah! I just thought… after everything blew over, it was really fun. There's more stuff around the apartment that we could do next time, too. Like, we can play video games or board games—although let me tell you, if you try to challenge me to a game of Cards Against Humanity, you are almost definitely going to lose—and sitting there and talking was just so much fun that I can't imagine it ever getting boring, either. So…" She shrugs, realizing she's rambling again. "If you want, I don't mind making a big meal once a week."

The cocky grin that spreads across Yakumo's face is very flattering, Aria decides. "To be honest, I was already gonna say yes, but when you mentioned thinking you're the best at Cards Against Humanity?" he pauses and laughs gently. "Oh, Heartbreaker, it's gonna be so sad when I beat you at your own game."

Aria gives him a haughty laugh and raises her chin in challenge. "Is that a challenge I hear, Dream Maker?"

Nodding sagely, Yakumo chuckles. "I do believe it was."

She nudges him with her shoulder, gently pushing him, and laughs when he overdramatizes it and pretends to stumble. "Man, I can't wait to see how bad I beat you. You can ask Rin. No one ever thinks I'm gonna win because I'm just a depressed goth girl who doesn't know how to laugh, but…" She shakes her head. "Uh uh. I _always_ win."

"I never got that impression from you."

Aria smirks. "What, that I'm raunchy enough to win a game of Cards Against—"

Yakumo shakes his head. "No, no." He laughs awkwardly. "That you were 'just a depressed goth girl.' I mean, sure, you dress in goth style, but it looks great on you. And sure, you get depressed sometimes, but that's not all you are. You're one of the most fun people I've hung around with in a long time."

Heat rises to Aria's cheeks, as well as her ears and neck. She turns to look away, and murmurs under her breath, "What, you don't have fun with Louis?"

With a bashful laugh, Yakumo shrugs. "Louis is like my brother, and we always have a blast together, but our humor is different. You and me… I feel like we have the same humor. The same type of stuff gets us going, you know?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean. It's nice. Talking to someone who… it feels like you get me, you know? Like, I have Rin, and he absolutely gets me better than anyone else. Probably better than I get me sometimes," Aria laughs softly. "But with you, it's… you're the first person other than him who I feel like I can really be me around. The first person ever other than him to see me cry."

Yakumo shrugs. "By accident. But… I'm glad I was able to help you feel better."

The heat on Aria's cheeks gets even hotter. "You really did," she admits with a soft laugh. "I was surprised at how easily you managed to. How… easy it was for me to talk to you. I don't do that."

"I can tell. You carry a lot on those shoulders," Yakumo says, pausing to drape his arm over her shoulders and pull her into his side. "I'm not sure how you do it, to be honest. Obviously, your brother's worth it. He's a good guy, a good friend, and a good brother. Still, most people would've cracked under the strain you've been through."

The comfort seems to take her over, and as she leans into his side, without thinking, she murmurs, "You don't even know the half of it."

Yakumo isn't fazed. "I'd like to, though. If… if you're willing to tell me sometime." He smiles down at her, keeping her close to him.

As soon as she realizes what she said, and what his response was, Aria's eyes shoot open. She swallows nervously, then tilts her head upward to see if his expression is genuine. Unsurprisingly, it's very genuine and honest, and his eyes are on her with an alarming amount of warmth in them. Maybe even more warmth than there was on Wednesday.

"One thing at a time," Aria says with a chuckle, then turns her head back down and looks at the sidewalk as it stretches out before them. "But… I wouldn't mind. If anything, you've proven that I can trust you."

Aria can hear the smile in Yakumo's voice when he answers. "You can."

The feeling of his arm around her, and the warmth of his body against her makes her feel several things all at once. First of all, she feels safe. Not just in the sense that he's there to protect her from random strangers and drunks—all of which they've left back on the Vertigo Strip several streets away, so she shouldn't really need the tangible comfort anymore—but in the sense that she's growing increasingly comfortable around him.

Second of all, she feels warmth flooding her body. Not just the physical interest that she so obviously has in him, even though that's definitely still there. A second feeling of warmth floods out from her chest, flows through her veins, and ignites them like her blood is made of gasoline and it's being stricken with a match. It's a type of warmth she's never really felt before, and while she's enjoying every second of it… it's also a lot scarier than she's willing to admit. Each beat of her heart flows more of that gasoline to her veins, and every second Yakumo has his arm around her, the warmth of his body is like another match.

She should step away. Every protective instinct she has inside her is screaming for her to do just that. She won't, though. She can't. She feels good, and she doesn't want to lose that good feeling.

So, she stays close to him, lets him keep her close, as they round the corner and enter the apartment complex. The silence between them is comfortable, just like it usually is, and that's a task on its own, because Aria really can't stand silence most of the time. As Aria leans against the side of his chest, she can vaguely hear the rhythmic sound of his heart beating, and that's enough sound for her at the moment. It's soothing. Comforting. It tells her that this is really happening.

"Hey."

"Hm?" Aria answers lazily, tiredly.

Laughing warmly, Yakumo nudges her with his side. "Well, first of all, you're gonna have to wake up. I wouldn't _mind_ carrying you up to your room, but I'm pretty sure _you_ wouldn't like that too much," he teases her.

"Mmm, you're probably right." Aria laughs, but doesn't make a move to leave his side immediately. "Gonna have to work harder than that if you want to get into my room."

An unintelligible noise passes through Yakumo's lips. "I… I wasn't…" Aria hears his heart rate increase. He struggles to find words for a few seconds, before finally continuing. With a nervous laugh, he continues in a low murmur. "Not what I meant. Wh-what I meant was… are you doing anything next Thursday?"

Conversational whiplash has Aria reeling for a second. She stumbles over her own feet—or maybe she stumbles over _Yakumo's_ feet, because she feels him stumble, before holding onto her tighter and righting them again. Whatever the situation is, it finally manages to pull Aria away from her spot against Yakumo's chest. While half of her brain is busy lamenting the loss of warmth, the rest of it is frantic, wondering exactly what he could be asking about her plans for. She swallows thickly, then looks up and meets his gaze.

"I have class until four, and possibly band practice until five, depending on if Daryl decides to get us all together. Why?"

Yakumo's voice is nervous when he continues. "W-well… I was just wondering if you wanted to go get dinner or something. There's this really cool place in town that reminds me of that diner they went to in Pulp Fiction. I dunno if you know that movie or—"

Excitement makes Aria stand up straight and look up at him with eager, sparkling eyes. "No, I do! It's one of my favorites! The diner scene is a classic, too. The way they just… get up there and spontaneously dance together? That's something I've always wanted to try." She realizes she's rambling, and her cheeks heat up. She goes quiet, completely unaware that she hasn't even answered his question yet.

"Yeah. So, uh… do you wanna go?" he asks shyly. "I figure it'll give us more of a chance to hang out outside of work, too."

"J-just you and me?" Aria stammers.

"Th-that was the plan, yeah."

Aria's own heart rate picks up, and her cheeks feel like they're on fire. "Yeah!" She pauses, realizing her voice came out as a croak. "I mean… s-sure. That sounds like it'd be fun. I haven't been to a diner in ages."

With a chuckle, Yakumo muses, "I imagine you wouldn't have to, with the way you cook. Better than any diner I've ever been to." His voice is still nervous, but it's slightly calmer now.

Smiling softly, Aria's whole body starts feeling as warm as her cheeks. "At least we'll still be having a dinner I cooked on Wednesday night." She nudges him with her shoulder again.

"Jeez. Wednesday and Thursday, then Friday through Sunday." Yakumo laughs warmly. "I hope you don't get tired of me."

Aria shakes her head. "Don't think that'll happen. I'd be more worried about you getting sick of me, to be honest," she admits. She wants to sound like she's joking, but given the way her luck usually goes… it's a real possibility.

At least, she thinks it is, until Yakumo speaks up again. "No chance," he insists.

Once they get to the door of the twins' apartment, they stop. Aria considers inviting him in for a split second, but it's really late and she knows he's probably tired. Instead, she eases out from under his arm and smiles shyly as she turns to face him. "I gotta thank you again. For doing this. Walking me home, I mean."

"It's no problem," he tells her. As she's looking at him face-to-face, she can't help but notice the red on his cheeks. "We had a pretty good time tonight, didn't we?"

Aria nods. "Yeah. We did"

"Just like every other time we're together."

As they stand there in silence, smiling at each other, Aria makes a split-second decision that she'll almost definitely regret as soon as she gets to the other side of the door. Before she can stop herself, she rocks up onto the tips of her toes and—even though she can barely reach—she manages to press a gentle kiss to Yakumo's cheek. His skin is warm, warmer because of the soft flush dusting his cheeks, and something about that simple, brief touch of her lips to his cheek, makes her heart race even faster.

So much so that, even as she stands flat-footed again, she can't seem to even out her voice. "I… I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Yakumo looks like he's stunned speechless. He simply nods in response. Aria thinks she sees him try to respond, but nothing comes out other than a breathless chuckle.

Aria goes inside, probably too quickly, and leans against the door for a second, cursing herself out and asks herself what the hell she was thinking. The whole situation was like something out of one of those teen romcoms she hates so much. Her heart hammers away in her chest, but despite her doubts and concerns, she can't help but hug Yakumo's jacket—her jacket—a little tighter to her. She'd definitely kissed him on the cheek.

And he'd _definitely_ asked her to hang out next Thursday.__

_ _In spite of herself… she can't help but smile._ _

_ _"I can _not_ believe that just happened."_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, look! Aria's being less of a disaster for once! HOW IS THIS HAPPENING? Does this mean she's completely confident now?
> 
> <s>No. No, it doesn't.</s>


	16. Louis & Rin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis gets an unexpected call and gets "invited" to a party of one.

Louis stares at the blinking cursor of his computer screen. He glances at the clock on the bottom right of his screen and releases another heavy sigh. It’s been exactly ten minutes since he last looked at the clock and exactly thirty minutes since he opened his Word document. It's the first Friday night in a while that Louis is home alone, and the perfect time to get ahead on homework, but just as he expects, his brain isn’t focusing. Well, more accurately, his brain doesn’t  _ want  _ to focus.

He falls back in his chair and allows himself to sink deeper into it. He runs long fingers through his hair, brushing his bangs away from his eye, but lets it flop right back into place. His head is full of Rin. Rin’s eyes, his smile, his comical and theatrical reactions; the colorful range of expressions Louis has seen in the past few weeks—ever since the dinner, the first or second, he’s not even sure anymore—that’s all he can think about. Their handshake, how warm Rin’s hand felt in his. The shocked but adorable expression on his face when Louis slyly added his number into Rin’s phone. Despite all of Rin’s outlandish, and admittedly hurtful, accusations, Louis is still curious. He’s  _ invested  _ now.

He’d been curious before. When Louis was asked by the head of student housing to give a select group of freshmen a tour of their new lodgings, he hadn’t been expecting much, but the moment he laid eyes on Rin, Louis knew he was fucked. Honestly, who could blame him? The Frey twins were a bumbling duo—an amusing commodity—they were two people striving for a better future and Louis couldn’t help but be attracted to them. Well,  _ one  _ of them.

Rin reminds Louis so much of  _ her _ that he wonders if they’re related. They aren’t, naturally, but a small part of him can’t shake off the childish thought. He feels like life has given him an opportunity; a second chance, to right a wrong that he’s so desperately wanted to fix for years. He’s being silly of course, but he can’t help it.

Louis rubs the smile from his face with his hands. Now isn’t the time to be thinking about such things. He has a paper due in two months that  _ needs  _ to be written. He can’t sit here and think about  _ Rin  _ doing  _ Rin things _ .

Louis chuckles softly to himself and does exactly what he doesn’t want to do: think of Rin doing Rin things. “I can’t believe he thought my surname was Mittelman…” He smirks fondly.

He also can’t believe Karen went out of her way to recruit Rin the way she did. Aurora’s surprise birthday party wasn’t something Rin needed to concern himself with, but of course, leave it to Karen to see an opportunity.

Louis’ phone rings. With another sigh, he straightens himself in his chair and picks up the phone without checking the caller ID.

“Hello?” 

“Louis! I have a complaint!” A girlish voice complains on the other line.

Louis stares mindlessly back at his blank word document, already settling himself in for one of Rin Murasame’s infamous phone spiels. Quietly, he wonders what  _ is  _ with him and his luck with people named Rin? 

“Good evening, Murasame, and what do I owe the pleasure of your call today?”

He hears her huff slightly, though it doesn’t sound as annoyed as he respects she hoped for. “My neighbor in duplex 7B is making a whole lotta ruckus. It’s like, almost midnight, Louis. I’m  _ trying  _ to sleep.”

Louis glances at the clock. It's only nine p,m.. “It’s nine o’clock on a Friday night, Murasame. Noise complaints are only valid from ten onwards. Also, I seem to recall getting noise complaints from  _ your  _ neighbors for the same thing this past weekend.”

“Yes,  _ but _ , I’m the exception, Louis.” She insists. There’s a pause in the line where Louis is pretty sure he hears a distinct giggle from Murasame’s roommate. “ _ Please  _ do something about 7B, Louis. We’re trying so desperately to study here!”

He cocks an eyebrow. Murasame? Studying on a Friday night?  _ Impossible. _

“Somehow, I find that hard to believe.” He quips, chuckling at Murasame’s exaggerated scoff and the distant yet sharp bark of laughter from Murasame’s roommate. “Alright, I’ll check it out. Which duplex was it again?”

Louis can practically  _ hear  _ the eye-roll Murasame gives him.

“7B, Louis! I said it twice already.  _ 7B _ !”

“Sorry, I wasn’t—” He pauses, Muarasame’s words finally sinking in. He’s grown intimately familiar with what that address means and in spite of himself, Louis can’t fight the smile that spreads across his lips.

He bids Murasame a polite farewell and immediately grabs his jacket and keys. It’s nine p,m. on a Friday night, he knows very well that Aria and Yakumo are busy at  _ Ichor _ . He’s also fully aware that while Murasame has no business complaining about noises this early in the night, she’d done so with reason. Louis has a suspicious feeling his weekly outings with the twins have not gone unnoticed.

* * *

Dance music booms across the living room, the heavy bass rattling what few picture frames they have on the walls. Rin slides across the kitchen floor in his pajamas, breathlessly singing into the neck of a half-empty bottle of vodka. The music draws to a close as he belts along to the singer’s final words and bursts into wheezy, breathless laughter. Dizzy from dancing and probably drinking too, Rin stumbles toward the dining table and adds a pinch of vodka into his mixed drink. It’s supposed to be something bubbly, but the amount of  _ everything _ he’s had in the past two hours means Rin can barely taste what the drink is supposed to be.

Partying by himself on a Friday night is not something he expected to do today, but he’s been in such a fantastic mood the past few days, and he couldn’t resist. The next song that starts has Rin’s attention immediately. As the familiar beat rocks through the living room, Rin hastily gulps his drink and slides into the living room. Or attempts to anyway. With the ugly, beige carpet covering the floor, the best Rin can do is slide part way before nearly tripping himself and colliding into the bookcase by the stairway wall. He giggles giddily to himself and manages to regain his footing before the first verse of the song starts.

“ _ Turn up the music cause the song just came on. Turn up the music if they try to turn us down. Turn up the music, can I hear it ‘til the speakers blow. Turn up the music, fill your cup, and drink it down!”  _ He throws up his hands into the air as he dances to the beat. It’s messy and uncoordinated, but Rin doesn’t care. “ _ If you're sexy and you know it, put yo hands up in the air! Put yo hands up in the air, girl put yo hands up, hands up, hands up, hands up!! If you're sexy and you know it, put yo hands up in the air, Put yo hands up in the air, girl put yo hands up and—”  _ Rin grabs the remote control from the armrest of the couch and uses it as a makeshift microphone. “ _ Turn up the music! Just turn it up louder; turn up the music, I need it in my life, yeaaah! Turn up the music, just turn it up louder! Turn up the music, I need it in my life, yeaaaaahhh. Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-OOOHHH!!”  _

The doorbell rings and Rin shrieks. The remote flies out of his hands, disappearing into the abyss known as the living room while Rin stares, wide-eyed at the offending door. The bell chimes again, and it’s any wonder how Rin managed to hear it in the first place with the music blasting. He hastily drops onto all fours, momentarily cursing himself for the intense wave of vertigo that overwhelms him as he searches under the couch for the remote. Miraculously, he manages to find it. He lowers the music and stumbles toward the door on the fourth ring. For a moment, he praises his lucky stars that he’s still wearing his binder despite the late hour, otherwise, opening the door would’ve been quite the problem.

Without checking the peephole, Rin opens the door a crack and comes face to face with Louis. “Uh, h-hey!” he croaks. He hopes he doesn’t look as sweaty as he feels.

“Hey,” Louis smirks. “Am I interrupting a party?”

“N-no! It’s just me!”

“Just you, huh?” Louis’ smirk continues to widen, as though he’s hearing something extremely funny.

“Y-yep! Just little ol’ me!” Rin squeaks. He stares at Louis for an awkward ten seconds before realization dawns on him. “O-OH, I should invite you inside.” He nearly trips out of the way as he opens the door and beckons for Louis to enter. “Come in, come in,  _ cum in _ .” He giggles giddily at his own joke then closes the door. “What brings you home?  _ To my home _ . My place. Mine.” He coughs awkwardly.

Louis takes a moment to glance around the living room, before turning back to Rin. Something passes through his visible eye. Rin thinks it looks like concern but he’s not sure what Louis would have to be concerned about. “Are you drinking by yourself?”

“M-maybe?”

Now Louis  _ definitely  _ looks concerned. “Rin, if there’s something worrying you, you can always talk to me about it. I want to be here for you.”

Rin blinks, confused. “Uhhhh, I appreciate your kindness, Louis. But I was just having a celebratory drink.” He hiccups then giggles. “You know, for celebrations!”

Surprise lines Louis’ eyes. “Oh. Okay then.” He glances back to the TV, where the current music video finishes the last dance of the song. He turns to Rin again. “Mind if I join you?”

Rin releases another hiccup and giggles. In the height of the music, Rin didn’t feel the alcohol buzzing in his veins, but now that Louis was right in front of him, he was feeling hot and tingling all over.

“Only if you dance with me!” He grins. He holds out his left hand toward Louis and then uses his right to increase the volume of the music.

Without hesitation, Louis takes his offered hand and smirks. “This isn’t a song you can really dance to, Rin, but for you, I’m willing to try.” He pulls Rin closer until they’re flush together. “I don’t think you’re sober enough to keep up with me.”

“But I’m drunk enough not to care,” Rin laughs.

Rin is exceptionally relieved that he has liquid courage running through his veins. Dancing with Louis in this proximity is something he’d never have any courage to do otherwise. He won’t forget the playful smirk on Louis' lips or the way Louis’ hands move along his body as they dance. He’s not sure what dance they've managed to do as the next six sets of songs played through the TV, or even really how long they been dancing, but by the end of it, Louis has beads of sweat dotting his skin and his breathing is labored. 

The heavy rise and fall of Louis' chest when he finally collapses on the couch beside Rin is captivating. Just like Louis, Rin is tired and breathless. Every gasp he takes comes out like a wheeze and despite taking big, slow gulp full of air, Rin feels like he still can’t get  _ quite  _ enough breath into his lungs.

Louis settles beside him, the first to regain his breath, and watches Rin with carefully. Searching even.

“You okay?” Louis asks softly. He reaches across the gap between them and brushes Rin’s sweaty bangs away from his eyes gently. “Slow your breathing. Inhale for 4, exhale for 8.”

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” Rin chuckles breathlessly. 

When Louis’ hand drops, its Rin’s turn to reach out. He half expects Louis to pull away, but when Rin reaches for the long fringe of hair covering Louis’ right eye, Louis doesn’t react. He brushes the hair away almost absentmindedly. His breath catches in his lungs. Louis’ exposed right eye stares back at him with such intensity, Rin feels like he’s being physically pinned to his spot on the couch.

Louis is handsome.  _ Too  _ handsome. Having Louis' face exposed so casually makes the world freeze around Rin. He inhales a soft breath, lets the fringe fall back into place, and snaps back to reality at the sound of Louis’ soft laughter.

“Guess you weren’t drunk enough to deal with that, huh?”

Rin flushes a deep, hot, red. Before he gets the chance to speak—or choke on his own saliva as he so often does—the front door opens hastily and Aria slips inside. She leans against the door, hugging Yakumo’s jacket close to her. Rin and Louis watch as an unfamiliar, strange expression passes over her face, but Rin is too drunk to properly parse what it is or what it means. He’s too drunk to realize… Aria is home… and Louis is still here. Rin whips his head to the clock on the wall. It’s nearly three in the morning. He chokes on his own dignity.

Aria is quiet for a few long seconds, then slowly, it seems as though realization dawns on her. “Wh— wait.  _ Louis _ … what are you… how long have you two…” Red floods her cheeks  _ rapidly.  _ “D-did you… you didn't  _ see _ anything… did you?” She gestures toward the door.

Rin glances between her and Louis, his own embarrassment rising. From the corner of his eye, he catches movement beyond the living room bay window and realizes its Yakumo turning back home. He tries not to react, but the snort-giggle that escapes his lips can not be contained.

“Should… we have…?” Louis questions slowly, uncertain of what Aria is asking.

Frantically, Aria shakes her head. “No! N-n-n-n-no, no-no, nothing! Nothing happened, just… curious.” In a singsong voice, she adds: “ _ Super _ , super curious about the opacity of our windows, that's all. If you couldn't see,  _ obviously _ I need to clean the windows better!” She smiles nonchalantly, then turns her attention to Rin. “Why are you drunk, Sunshine?”

Rin clumsily perches his chin against his palm and smiles goofily at Aria from the couch. He doesn’t register her question and instead focuses on more pressing matters. “Heehee is that Ya-ku-mo~ walking away?”

“Of course it was, you know he walks me home.” She says quickly, almost frantic. She turns her attention back to Louis and Rin can’t help spilling another giggle. “I didn't know you were coming over tonight! It's nice to see you!”

“It wasn’t planned,” Louis explains, sounding amused. “I received a noise complaint from one of your neighbors.”

Rin giggles again, settling Aria with knowing eyes. He climbs onto his knees, using the back of the couch as support and sways his butt from side to side like an overly excited puppy. 

“He walked you  _ hooome _ !” Rin sings. He’s not sure why that fact amuses him as much as he does, but a part of him feels ecstatic to know that Yakumo walks Aria home from work so late at night. It’s most likely the alcohol.

“Yes, just like we  _ planned _ , Sunshine.” She quickly turns to Louis. “So, you've been taking care of my boozehound brother, have you?” She half-smiles. 

Louis takes a moment to reply, his attention suddenly focused elsewhere, but when he does, it’s a half-hearted hum. Rin glances his way, curious by the distraction, and catches Louis staring, not at  _ him  _ necessarily. Louis snaps back to reality before Rin can pinpoint exactly where his eyes are focused and turns hastily toward Aria. “I’m sorry what? Can you repeat that?” He looks between the twins for some sort of explanation.

Rin frowns, overcome with worry. He reaches out for Louis and carefully rubs his thumb along Louis’ cheek. “You’re so distracted, Lulu. Are you okay?” Louis flushes an impressive shade of red that catches Rin off guard. He pulls his hand back, looking worried. “Okay either I’m drunk as hell or Lulu is turning red. Aria help!”

Rin misses the satisfied smile on Aria’s smile when she responds. “Both, Sunshine. Both. It's okay, though.  _ Lulu _ has reason to be distracted. Why don't I get you some water and crackers so you're not praying for death tomorrow morning, then I'll go up to my room, and leave the two of you to your… very important business, hm?” She leaves the room with a grin.

Louis coughs into his fist. “It’s-it’s late. I should best be on my way. I didn’t intend to…” Rin watches as Louis’ visible eye trail down the length of his body before jerking to his feet. “To-to stay.  _ Ahem _ . I’ll-I’ll see you tomorrow, Rin.” 

Louis is out the door before Rin can get a word in. The speed in which Louis leaves surprises him, but he’s far too drunk to read anything deeper beyond what Louis said. Instead, Rin finally flops along the length of the couch, face-first into the cushions and inhales. It smells mostly like fabric. 

He screams.

Aria fumbles into the living room, dropping the water bottle she’s holding onto the floor. “Are you okay?!”

Rin shoots up from the couch onto his knees, swaying dangerously in place. “WHY IS HE SO FUCKING HOT ARIA?!” He screams. “I CAN’T TAKE IT!”

Aria laughs breathily in response. “You  _ know _ , I think he thinks  _ you're _ hot, too, Sunshine.”

He groans theatrically and falls back onto the cushions. His quick movements do nothing to relieve his spinning head. “Don’t say that, Ari.”

“He does!” She insists. She comes into the living room with water and crackers and puts them on the couch next to Rin. “He was staring at your booty when you were doin' that little happy Rin booty dance.” She mimics the dance as best she can, but without the booty Rin has, it falls short.

Rin greedily drinks the water like his life depends on it. With a gasp for air, he narrows his eyes at her suspiciously. “Don’t say that. Also! How is Yakumo?” He gives her an innocent smile, hoping the subject change is enough to throw her off guard.

It doesn’t work. 

Aria pointedly ignores his question and continues, “I  _ can _ say that and I  _ will _ because I  _ watched it happen _ . He was staring. He was distracted. You pointed it out yourself.” She pauses, then grins. “He  _ literally _ said 'hn.'” Her voice is a poor mimicry of Louis'. It would’ve made Rin laugh had he not been suffering an internal crisis.

“ _ Fuck _ ,” He curses.

“Why is that bad?” She grins.

“It’s not  _ bad _ just…” Rin heaves a heavy sigh, unsure of how to voice his concerns. “ _ Weird. _ ” he finishes lamely.

Aria shakes her head. “Nope, not weird. Just means he's attracted to you.” She smiles again and plops into one of the chairs. “Which means you're attracted to each  _ other _ . Which means you should ask him out.”

Rin, who was in the process of grabbing a cracker from the plate, smashes it in between his fingers. “No!” He shrieks. “Are you crazy!?” He throws the remnants of his cracker toward her face.

It lands satisfactorily in the middle of her brows. “OW. Hey!” She flings it back but it flies over his head. “Why not?”

Rin scoffs in disbelief. “What if people  _ see _ , Ari? And they get…  _ ideas _ ? It just… feels like too much too fast.” He grumbles.

“Well, okay. That's fine, don't rush it.” She pulls her legs up into a lazy butterfly and drapes Yakumo's jacket over them. “But… also don't close the idea away, you know? If it feels right, then it probably is.” She smiles warmly. “He does really like you, though. I can tell.”

Rin curls up on the couch, nursing the plate of crackers. “What if it's just sexual? What if he’s just doing this to get a hit and then leaves? That’s what… those are how the stories go.” He fiddles nervously with a hoodie sleeve. “I’m trans, don’t some guys have a weird fetish for that kind of stuff?”

Aria shakes her head gently. “I don't think he's that type, Rin. I  _ know _ that type. That type wouldn't forgive you a hundred million times, no matter what happened, you know?” She smiles warmly, her eyes gentle. “He's too nice to be like that.”

“I guess…” Rin mutters, unsure.

“Don't rush it, though.” She gets up from the chair and sits next to him on the couch. “If he's willing to wait, then you  _ know _ he's not that type, hm?” She nudges him with her shoulder.

He smiles weakly, but it's genuine at least. “Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, Ari.”

She beams. “You know… I'm really happy to be talking about this stuff with you.” She pokes him in the shoulder. “I'm really happy that you were  _ happy _ drinking this time. I mean… at least I think you were…”

“Yeah, I made a lot of progress with Louis’ gift so I thought why not celebrate?”

“Can I see it?” She asks, her tone hopeful.

Rin chuckles. “It’s upstairs drying, but... Yeah. You can see it.”

“Why don't you show me tomorrow, then? You're probably still a little drunk, and I'm  _ definitely _ tired, so… we should try and get some sleep.” She smiles.

As if on cue, Rin yawns. “Yeah, I think I’ll wash up first. Rinse off this booze and sweat before bed.”

Aria laughs. “Booze and sweat usually has a  _ way _ different connotation, but at least you still had fun.” She gets up and stretches, plucking the jacket from the living room chair as she heads to the stairs. “See you in the morning, Sunshine.”

Rin waves her off before shutting off the TV and dragging himself into the bathroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	17. Aria & Yakumo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aria sits up in bed with a start, her bedding a mangled mess as her eyes dart about her room. Realization sinks in slowly, that it was just a dream and that she's fine and that Mido and Rocky are so far in her past they shouldn't even be issues anymore. She breathes in slowly, then lets it out through her nose as she turns to look at the clock. Six a.m. She groans and throws herself back against her pillows, hitting them with a dull thud.
> 
> She can't understand why this nightmare came back now of all times. She went to bed feeling _good_ last night. Yakumo's words, his kindness, his warmth… they all flit through her mind once again and she tries to close her eyes and go back to sleep.
> 
> As soon as her eyes shut, she hears that deep bassy voice once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for transphobic behavior, deadnaming, and slut-shaming.

_No one will want you if you just open your legs for every boy you meet, you little slut._

The angry, deep, bassy voice booms through Aria's dreams, chasing her into one corner of the open white room. Once she gets there, she cowers and covers her ears in a desperate attempt to block the voice out, but its deep, thrumming tones pierce through the space between her fingers and find their way into her ears anyway. She tries to scream to drown them out, but no sound escapes her lips.

Just when she thinks she can't take that voice anymore, a second one joins it from the corner of the room she's hiding in.

_C'mon, you prude. I've waited for so fucking long. No one will want you if you don't put out._

This voice is just as loud as the bassy one, but it's higher in pitch and a lot sharper. The dream version of Aria turns around and desperately tries to crawl away, only to find herself crawling toward the first voice. Each voice crescendos, melding together, and drawing closer as though they were speakers moving toward her. She curls into a ball on the floor, covering her ears tightly, but it does little to drown the sound out.

One clear message plays, no matter how conflicting the rest of the words are:

_No one will want you. No one will want you._

_No one. No one. **No one!**_

Aria sits up in bed with a start, her bedding a mangled mess as her eyes dart about her room. Realization sinks in slowly, that it was just a dream and that she's fine and that Mido and Rocky are so far in her past they shouldn't even be issues anymore. She breathes in slowly, then lets it out through her nose as she turns to look at the clock. Six a.m. She groans and throws herself back against her pillows, hitting them with a dull thud.

She can't understand why this nightmare came back now of all times. She went to bed feeling _good_ last night. Yakumo's words, his kindness, his warmth… they all flit through her mind once again and she tries to close her eyes and go back to sleep.

As soon as her eyes shut, she hears that deep bassy voice once more. _No one's gonna want you._

She sits up again. "Ugh."

She angrily throws the blankets off her body and gets out of bed. There's no point trying to go back to sleep, and she's fully aware of it. Once one of these nightmares takes hold, it won't go away until she distracts herself properly, and sometimes that can take all day. Instead, she decides to enact a plan she's been concocting since the night before, when she got her first paycheck and her first round of tips.

What better way to spend money than irresponsibly going thrift shopping for clothes?

After a shower, she gets dressed, throws her hair into a lazy bun and heads out the door.

Shopping has always been an easy way to take Aria's mind away from her problems. She loves thrifting, and if there's one thing Vein has—other than a very active bar community—it's dozens of thrift stores. Happiness floods Aria as she goes from shop to shop, picking out clothing for herself and for everyone else. _Everyone_ else. Not just Rin, but a couple of outfits that make her think of Louis and his style, and a couple for Yakumo, too.

It doesn't even occur to her as she puts together the perfect outfit for her two new friends, exactly how odd it is to buy clothes for relative strangers. All she wants is to make Louis and Yakumo feel as great as they've made her feel. Especially Yakumo.

As Yakumo's face passes through her mind, she smiles.

The thought of her friend, about the warmth in his eyes and the way he'd just… smiled after she'd kissed his cheek… makes an unprecedented warmth bubble up in her chest.

By the time she's done shopping, she's several outfits richer and several dozen dollars poorer. The walk back home, with all those bags on her arms, proves significantly more difficult than the walk into town. Somehow, even though she drops the bags more than once, she makes it. It takes considerable effort to finagle the door open, but once she manages, she flops the bags down onto the couch, laughing as she looks around the empty first floor of the apartment.

With a soft laugh, she shakes her head. "Of course he's not awake yet."

Maybe she's assuming too much, but Aria doesn't think she is. If nothing else, Rin is a creature of habit, so Aria is almost positive that he's still tucked cozily in bed. That's okay, though. The fact that he's not awake gives her time to make his breakfast. As she waits for him to wake up, she heads to the kitchen and starts putting together the makings of breakfast burritos.

Aria appreciates being right, which is why she feels a cocky smirk crossing her face when sleepy footsteps come thudding down the stairs. Sure enough, Rin opens the door separating the stairs and the living room, looking every bit the part of the morning zombie. He rubs his chest absently.

"Mornin'," he greets her.

"Morning, Sunshine!" Aria greets eagerly, then gestures toward the bags on the couch. "You need a hangover kit? I bought one while I was out, just in case."

Rin plops into a kitchen chair and lets out an impressive yawn. "Nah, I'm not too terrible this time," he says around his yawn. "I'll save it for a rainy day."

With a nod, Aria cracks a quartet of eggs into a frying pan. "I bought you some other stuff, too! I went on a little thrift store shopping spree, since the band got some pretty decent tips. You should look!" She gestures toward the bags again. "That or you can just sit there and be an adorable little lump in your seat," she adds, then sticks her tongue out playfully.

Rin he sticks out his tongue in return and rises from his chair. "You bought me goodies?" As he heads for the couch, he coughs dryly into his indoor hoodie.

Aria's brow furrows. She recognizes that cough, and it seldom means anything good. She doesn't think they have any spare inhalers around, but if it is allergies, Aria is decently sure she has some Benadryl stored in the medicine cabinet.

Before she jumps to the conclusion, she turns to look at him. "You good, Sunshine?" she asks.

"I’m contractually obligated to say yes," Rin offers, then laughs softly.

A smile plays across Aria's face. She's happy to see him smiling again, and happy, and laughing. "I'm gonna assume you'll tell me if you're not. See that? This is me putting trust in you." She points the spatula at him and stirs the eggs in the pan.

In spite of her words, though, she can't help the tiny worried voice that gnaws at the back of her brain. She shoves it away, tells it to be quiet and internally reiterates her promise to trust Rin, to believe that he'll tell her if he needs her help in any way.

"I’m also contractually obligated to agree with you, as part of the brother clause," Rin muses as he looks through the bags. The paper crinkling is loud in the otherwise silent living room, as is the bassy cough Rin lets out. "Oh, you bought me clothes? _Noice_."

Aria nods. "I did. Sorta went a little bit nuts," she admits as she watches him closely from the kitchen, taking note of his coughing. The words are on the tip of her tongue, but before she can express her concern, Rin speaks up again.

"I approve," he announces as he returns to the kitchen, bags in hand. He sits down on the chair and starts fishing through them. "Uh, some of these aren’t the right size, Ari."

With a nervous laugh, Aria shrugs her shoulders and turns her back. "Oh. Those are for… you know. Louis and… Yakumo." Yakumo's name barely comes out as a mumble, and she quickly covers it up with another soft laugh. "I actually totally forgot that I bought those ones."

It's a lie. She didn't forget at all.

Rin stares at her incredulously. "Uh, w-why are you buying them clothes?"

"Uh…" Heat rushes to Aria's cheeks, so she keeps her back turned so Rin can't see them turn red. "I dunno. I guess I just… saw the stuff and thought it suited their styles? It's not a big deal."

After a beat of silence, Rin blurts, "Ari, you _bought clothes_ for two boys we’ve only just met." If the tone of his voice is any indication, he definitely thinks it's a big deal.

A frown pulls the corners of Aria's lips downward, and she turns to look at Rin. "I… guess I shouldn't have, huh."

Rin rubs his chest absentmindedly. "Well too late now. Might as well give it to them when they’re here for dinner next week," he says nonchalantly.

Aria shakes her head adamantly as she turns back around. She idly starts chopping bacon to put into the pan. "Nah. If it's… if it's too, you know… desperate? I should probably just wait. I just thought it would be nice. Since they know I'm in fashion design and all," she explains.

"Actually, that’s a good idea," Rin says, rubbing his chin idly. "We could say it’s a thank you gift for everything they’ve done for us. I’m almost done with Louis’ gift anyway. We could put it together and then it won’t be as weird."

"I dunno, a nice sculpture is way different than, like… whole ass outfits," Aria murmurs with a self-deprecating laugh. "Don't want to look desperate."

Where moments ago, Rin had seemed adamant that it was weird, now it seems as though he's backpedaling. "I think it’ll be okay! You said it yourself—" he pauses, coughing a deep, bassy cough into his arm. "—_fucking dry cough_. Like I was saying, you said they were nice so I think they won’t mind!"

Unable to hold her worry any longer, Aria finally speaks up. "D'you need Benadryl?" As she asks, she's already halfway to the bathroom.

"No, it’s fine. I don’t want to get drowsy," Rin insists, as he heads for the fridge and pulls out a bottle of water. "Probably just leftover hangover."

Aria can't help but frown. "Okay," she murmurs, then heads back for the stove. She goes quiet for a moment, thinking about their earlier conversation. "You really think it wouldn't be too weird?"

Rin turns to her as he pulls out a sweater from the bag and over his head. "Not at all!"

"_Rin, I haven't washed those yet!_" Aria scolds.

It's definitely amusing, the way Rin runs his hands over the sweater's fabric. "_Nice_." He glances up at her, his fingers pointing out of his chest in a mockery of human nipples. "Does this make my nipples show?"

A genuine peal of laughter falls from Aria's lips. "Oh my god you are such a nerd. I'm telling Louis you did that," she smirks.

Chuckling, Rin peels off the sweater and reaches for the bag again, then pauses like something catches his eye. He pulls out one of the black high heels Aria bought for herself. "Okay, so unless you decided to become a stripper behind my back, I _know_ these aren’t for everyday wear…" he teases her.

"Oh. No. They're uh… my new special occasion heels. Th-that's all!" she replies, completely obvious in her lie.

Rin sits down in the chair and starts bending his foot awkwardly to fit into the shoe. "Uh-huh," he answers flatly. "So, when’s your date and what are you thinking of wearing to impress Yakumo?"

Aria freezes, and almost drops the spatula to the floor. "_I never said I had a_—"

In an incredulous voice, Rin huffs. "Aria, you were making lovey-dovey eyes last night when he dropped you off. And you bought him clothes. Pretty sure he asked you out and that’s why you went shopping," he reasons, then lifts up his foot where the new heel hangs off it midway. "These are really sexy by the way."

"He didn't 'ask me out.'," Aria refutes. "He just… asked me to go to dinner next Thursday, that's all. Not anything, you know… like a date or whatever. Just… hanging out. Like friends do."

Rin digs out the other heel and tries to squeeze his foot into it. "So, next Thursday at what time?"

"Uh—" Aria turns to see Rin trying to put the heels on and manages a laugh. It's not the first time her brother has tried on her clothes, but it never ceases to remind her that he's _definitely_ a boy, and looks the most natural in men's clothing. "We uh… never got that far. I don't think he specified. I was sort of… taken off guard. And then I did an _idiotic_ thing that's _probably_ gonna make him want to cancel the whole thing."

Aria wipes her hand down her face, hoping to take her shame with it. She turns around the rest of the way, and leans against the counter desolately.

With both heels on Rin's feet, he rises from the chair.

"Wow, I'm impressed," Aria laughs. "It's going to take weeks of practice before I can stand in those."

“I should’ve been a stripper. Do you think I’d make good money?” He poses, showcasing the heels.

Aria laughs. "Oh, absolutely. With a booty like that, guys and girls would line up around the block to see the amazing Sunshine Stripper." She nods eagerly.

“_Sunshine stripper_!” He laughs. “That’s a good one.”

"You'd brighten up every stage you passed across, dancing to all songs with sunshine in the lyrics."

“Uh-huh,” Rin grins, amused. He returns to the chair and adds, “Still, you should probably call him up and ask what time dinner is supposed to be. It’s probably like six or seven, right? Since it’s dinner?”

Aria clamps down tightly on her lip. "I… don't have his number," she admits.

Undaunted, Rin digs into the clothing bag again and pulls out a plaid shirt, a blazer, and a black beanie. He starts dressing. "But you have Louis’ number. You could ask him for Yakumo’s!"

Huffing a laugh, Aria's expression very clearly says 'no.' "Oh yes because _that's_ not weird." She morphs her voice into a dense-sounding version of her own voice. "'Hey, Louis. I'm a total idiot who gets asked to dinner and then kisses boys on the cheek without even having their number. Can you help me out?'"

Rin sits back in the chair and crosses his legs so Aria’s new heels are visible. "Yeah, and? I rubbed my groin on his junk last Saturday and you didn’t see me freak out. Also—" he flips imaginary hair over his shoulder, "—when were you going to tell me about how you kissed him on the cheek?"

"Okay, first of all, you totally freaked out after you sobered up," Aria points out, her voice deadpan. "Also… I wasn't _planning_ on telling you because it was stupid and I _shouldn't have done it_."

Rin scoffs dramatically. “I did _not_ freak out. Secondly, how dare you not plan on not telling me!”

Aria makes a face. "Oh, so that whole like… 'accusing him of trying to extort sex out of us' thing wasn't a freakout?" she asks with a smug smirk.

“I don’t recall. Must not have happened.” He says adamantly.

She laughs, then pauses as she looks him over. "Ugh, I'm so jealous because you look way better in my shoes than I ever will. The… the rest of that outfit… we won't talk about. But the shoes look great on you."

"Really? I was going for hipster chic," Rin laughs, then breaks into another minor coughing fit.

Concern pokes into Aria's chest like a dart. "Are you sure you're good? That sounded like an asthma cough."

Rin rubs his chest in discomfort. Something passes over his face, like he’s deciding between two major options. “Honestly? It probably is.” He takes the outfit off. “I haven’t had asthma in years but I’ve been partying pretty hard lately so…” He shrugs.

Aria hums, her brows drawing together in concern. "I'll call Coco later to get your inhaler prescription. It's not a bad idea to have your inhaler available, just in case," she tells him. 

He sighs. “Yeah, I guess.” He stares at Aria for a moment, an impish smile curling his lips. “Do you want me to do your hair for your date?”

"Oh my g—" She huffs in frustration. "It's not a date! He never said it was a date. "He just said… go to a diner. That's all. I was the one who made it weird."

Rin rolls his eyes playfully. "Okay, your friend hangout," he answers dismissively. "Do you have an idea of what you’re going to wear?"

Humming thoughtfully, Aria goes over her catalog of clothes in her head. "Well, the heels for one. Although, he did say there was a dance floor… it's like that one diner in Pulp Fiction, according to him," she murmurs arbitrarily. "You think I can dance in those without breaking my ankles?"

Without hesitation, and with a beaming smile on his face, Rin supplies, "Absolutely not," in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Well there goes that plan." She grumbles. "Guess I'll save them for the next time I get asked out. I guess I could wear that… sun and moon thing I bought with one of my pairs of boots or flats from upstairs? Or maybe the plaid one with some flats…" She sighs dramatically. "Why is it that I can pick clothes for everyone else but when it comes to me I always struggle?"

Rin shrugs helpfully.

Aria turns back to the pan and stirs the eggs around again. "I could always wear pants. I don't want to… you know… give him the wrong idea. Make him think I think of it as anything more than it is. I _already_ made a fool of myself once," she muses.

Before she realizes it, Rin is looking right over her shoulder into the bacon pan. "You’re so hard on yourself, Ari. If he didn’t want you to kiss him, he would’ve made that known," he tells her as he tries to steal a strip of bacon.

"Hey!" Aria smacks his hand lightly. "I'm making breakfast burritos, you can wait. I guess I'm just… worried about those old rumors coming back to bite me. You saw how Emily acted around me."

Aria hates that she still carries stupid issues from high school—from years ago—with her, but she can't help but compare Emily to the girls in high school who spread rumors about her. Even though Aria has only ever had sex with one guy before, somehow rumors managed to run around school about her promiscuity, and it was almost impossible for years for her to escape the 'slut' label.

Emily is just like those girls. She could easily ruin Aria without much effort, right as she's starting to put things back together again. She stares too intently at the bacon as it sizzles on the pan, trying to clear her head.

“They won’t, Ari. It’s college. These people don’t really care anymore.” Rin shrugs. “And Emily is Emily. Yakumo won’t stand for it if she continues. At least I hope.”

Aria frowns. "Maybe. I don't really want to come between him and his friend, though, so…" She shakes her head hard. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. I just don't want to screw it up."

"You won't, Ari, believe me," Rin insists, using her distraction to try and steal some eggs from the other pan.

It manages to pull a genuine laugh from Aria, who bats gently at his hand again. "_Rin Nathaniel_, you cut that out! Instead of being a mooch when breakfast isn't even done yet, why don't you get me the tortillas?" 

As Rin walks over to the fridge, he glances at her over his shoulder. "It’ll be fine. _You_ will be fine."

Aria smirks. "If you're being extra sweet to me, just to get some eggs and bacon early, it's working," she says with a chuckle, then gathers up some of the bacon and egg mix and holds it out to Rin.

Once Rin returns from the fridge and sets the tortillas on the counter, he immediately inhales the spoonful and hums in delight.

Laughing at Rin's vacuum tendencies, Aria pats him gently on the cheek. "Do you wanna come to the bar with me tonight?" She pauses and points the spoon at him, before turning back to the oven and heating the tortillas on a separate burner. "And maybe limit yourself to a drink that _isn't_ Zombie and _won't make you into a drunken mess?"_

Rin perks up. "Sure, I’d love to!" he answers with a laugh. "But no promises on the limiting drinks thing. Maybe I won’t have Zombie this time but, I’ll definitely keep my cool."

Aria chuckles and turns, speaking to the pan of bacon and eggs like it can understand her. "He may be an idiot, but he's my idiot."

"Hey!"

Batting her eyelashes innocently, Aria asks, "What'd I say?"

Rin narrows his eyes suspiciously, watching her every move like a hawk.

Aria gathers Rin's three burritos and puts them on a plate, whirling around dramatically and somehow managing not to drop any food on the floor. "Voila! Three breakfast burritos a'la Aria!" She sets the plate in front of him on the table.

Rin doesn't waste any time before digging in, and all Aria can do is chuckle at her brother's limitless appetite.

~

Yakumo is endlessly pleased to see how many people have heard about Aria and are at the bar. She's just as captivating on stage tonight as she has been every other night so far. People he's never even seen before crowd around the stage, singing along and dancing with her as she sings. It seems to improve her confidence as she spins around, dances like crazy, and leans down to sing directly to the crowd. Even her speeches between segments seem to be sounding a little more confident, and Yakumo can't help but smile as he watches her.

Just like the night before, she sings to him now and then and he can't help but duck his head in bashful satisfaction as her voice flits through the air and his eyes catch hers across the bar. The only difference tonight is that Rin is there, sitting at the bar and grinning at him every single time red manages to tinge his cheeks.

Yakumo mixes Rin another bourbon rickey and slides it across the bar to him. "Man, she's drawing quite the crowd."

"Yeah!" Rin agrees excitedly as he catches the drink. "Always knew she could."

With a chuckle, Yakumo nods and turns his eyes to the stage to watch her sing. "Means less tips for me, but honestly, I don't mind. She seems… really happy up there." After a pause when he realizes he's staring, he turns to look back at Rin. He half-smiles as he busies himself with wiping the bar. "A-anyway. Louis told me you had a little bit of a house party last night." 

Rin chuckles. "Yeah, that he ended up crashing."

"Huh. Louis isn't much of a partier. He must really enjoy your company," Yakumo muses impishly.

Smirking, Rin shrugs. "That or I’m becoming a bad influence. I should throw a _real_ house party one day, see if he’ll actually let loose for once."

With a shake of his head, Yakumo quirks his head to the side in a subtle shrug. "I wouldn't call you a bad influence. You ask me, he could stand to loosen up a little bit. When we were talking, he was telling me how before he came to your place, he was working on a paper that was due in _two months_," he laughs. "Two. Months, not weeks. I've never known anyone who works so hard. He'll work himself into an early grave."

"He’s not the only one, Aria too. She works so hard sometimes it worries me," Rin explains, before downing his drink. He slides the empty cup away from him. "Speaking of which, you too. I think all three of you guys could stand to loosen up some!"

Yakumo shrugs. "Eh. I loosen up plenty. Gotta work hard if I want to get into Vein U with you guys. If a scholarship isn't gonna happen and I can't qualify for loans…" He shrugs and takes the empty glass.

"I’ll have a Tom Collins this time, if you please!" Rin tells Yakumo. "Also, have you considered looking into state aid? That's an option too."

"Can't. Tried it. The school, uh… won't really help out. I've got some stuff on my record when I was a kid that…" Yakumo shrugs and starts making Rin's drink. "Even if I could get state aid Vein U was like 'nah man, you're a risk.'" He chuckles bitterly and gives Rin the finished drink.

Rin accepts the drink and winces sympathetically. "I’m sorry to hear that man. Hopefully, something makes it easier for you soon."

Shrugging nonchalantly, Yakumo's easy smile comes back. "The way I see it, I could be doing a lot worse. Even if I don't get to go to college, I'm working, I'm making my way, I've got friends to look out for, and I'm pretty happy, all things considered." He glances down the bar to see if anyone needs him. For the moment, everyone seems satisfied. "I'm not gonna wish for what could be, you know? That usually means I regret what brought me here, and I don't."

As he gulps down the Tom Collins, Rin stares at Yakumo in awe. "Wow, you’re so mature, Yakumo."

"Tonight, anyway," Yakumo laughs at his own expense. "Tomorrow I very well _might_ lament my fate and wish for what could be. You know how it is."

Rin raises his nearly finished glass. "Cheers to that, bro."

Laughing softly, Yakumo nods and waves the praise off nonchalantly. Rather than accept praise for something he doesn't think is a big deal, he opts for a subject change. "So, other than your love for memes, I know pretty much nothing about you. I just realized that. I've talked to your sister a lot, but we haven't really had a chance to talk much."

"Then we should fix that!" Rin agrees, a faux-innocent smile on his face. "Especially if you’re going to be around my sister."

Yakumo's face turns red, and he glances nervously down at the bar. "Okay, so… you know what we should do? How about we make plans to hang out together somewhere that isn't the bar or you guys' place?" He smiles, continuing to wipe further down the bar. "How familiar are you with the area around here?"

"Outside of the Vertigo Strip, not a damn clue! I don’t even know where you or Louis live."

As Yakumo thinks, he hums to himself.. "Well, that certainly narrows things down. Is there anything you want to see around town? We could go to my apartment, but it's literally a box. One room and a bathroom." He can't help but laugh. "So, something more exciting than that."

Rin shrugs. "That’s okay, I wouldn’t want people to get the wrong idea anyway," he says as he finishes off his glass. He slides it across the counter, silently asking for another. "What can two bros do around town that’s fun?"

"Well, when I have time off I usually go watch hockey practices," Yakumo muses, more to himself than to Rin. "Probably wouldn't be fun if you don't know the game, though."

The voice Rin uses to reply is much more enthusiastic than Yakumo expects. "Hot guys in uniform, count me in!" He stops abruptly, then blinks in realization. "I-I-I m-mean y-yeah sounds like a plan." He laughs half-heartedly and nervously glances up and down the bar.

Yakumo waves his concern off with a smile. "No one heard you," he reassures Rin, gesturing down the bar and pointing out how everyone is too absorbed in their own conversations to pay Rin and Yakumo any mind. "And even if they did, if they said anything, I'd have your back, so don't sweat it."

Rather than focusing on Rin's slip and making things more awkward, Yakumo opts to go back to their prior topic. "Sounds like a plan, though. It's actually pretty fun. A little loud when they're doing drills, but fun no less."

"Y-yeah, I bet," Rin says as he gestures rigidly to his empty glass. "Can I get another?"

Yakumo glances up to Aria on the stage, then back at Rin. "You sure?"

Rin sounds slightly more relaxed when he replies. "Hit me up!" He smiles.

The smile and the relaxed nature Rin is giving off ease Yakumo's mind enough to allow him to agree to Rin's request. "Alright," he answers, but he takes his time mixing Rin's drink, so Rin doesn't rush too much and end up in the same situation as last week. "So, quick question. This is gonna sound a little weird, and you can feel free to ignore me if you want to."

Tilting his head curiously, Rin asks, "Okay, what’s up?"

As Yakumo slides Rin his drink, he tries to fight back the blush that threatens to burn his cheeks off. "Did your sister, uh… talk about me at all last night? Or this morning? About anything that… y'know… happened?" he asks.

Rin perks up immediately. "Oh, su—"

Before Rin can get another word in edgewise, a guy with red hair—almost as bright as Yakumo's own—wearing a black leather jacket and a white t-shirt underneath, and sunglasses indoors for some reason, slaps the bar in demand. "Ay, yo!" he shouts. "Can I get an order here or what?"

Yakumo is taken off guard by the command, but he nods. "Oh… yeah! Sorry. Hold that thought, Rin," he smiles easily at Rin, before turning to the other guy. "What can I get you?"

"Finally, some fucking service," the guy grumbles. "Get me a bourbon and make it quick."

Smiling in the face of the rudeness—even if it's a little more difficult—Yakumo nods once in acknowledgment. "Alright, just a sec," he says, before turning his back and starts pouring the drink.

"Hey!" Yakumo hears the guy say. "I know you. You’re in my contemporary lit class."

Rin's voice is a shadow of its normal, boisterous self when he replies. "O-oh yeah?" he asks. "Small world!"

The tone in the guy's voice is unnerving when he continues. "I feel like I’ve seen you from somewhere before, though. Outside of school," he muses. "Well, shit. That’s right. You’re Aria’s sister, ain’t cha? Alexa!"

Yakumo stops cold, then turns around and looks at the guy with a level gaze. "Brother, actually. His name's Rin."

Rin laughs anxiously and immediately retreats into his drink, but if he planned to say anything, he doesn't get a chance to. The guy speaks up, sounding unimpressed when he does. "Right. I remember now, you were always the funny one." He laughs, but it sounds fake; almost mocking. He takes a sweeping look at Rin’s figure. "I see you’re still playing pretend, huh? Even when you’re in college now, you didn’t grow outta that shit."

"Hey," Yakumo warns. "Watch it." He still hesitates to turn and mix the drink, not wanting to leave Rin alone with this asshole, but eventually he does, if only to get him away from Rin faster.

"Yeah, yeah," the guy answers dismissively. "_Anyway_, it’s a damn shame. But whatcha gonna do?"

Rin's stammering reply of "Uh… y-yeah…" tells Yakumo more than anything else could.

"Ain’t nothing like a good dick can’t fix," the guy remarks crudely.

Yakumo re-enters the conversation with the guy's drink, and levels him with a glare. "One bourbon," he tells the guy sharply. The hand not holding the drink is clenched into a fist, and Yakumo is sorely tempted to grab this asshole by the collar and physically escort him from the bar. It takes every ounce of his restraint not to do it.

The guy takes the drink and turns to Yakumo with a derisive glare. "'Bout damn time. Thanks, man." He turns to Rin, clapping him on the shoulder. "See you in class, _Lexxie_!" Without another word, he turns into the crowd and disappears.

Rin takes a deep, shaky breath and plasters on a smile. "_Welp_, that happened, _heh_. Talk about a blast from the past, huh?"

"I don't even know who the hell that _was_, but the urge to punch the smug smile off his face was damn near overwhelming," Yakumo remarks as he watches after Rocky, who glares up at Aria from the crowd. "Still is, actually."

For a second, Rin is quiet, almost like he's trying to decide how to describe the guy. When he finally does reply, his voice is still meek. "He’s, uh… he’s… he’s an… he’s an old classmate from h-high school, as, uh, a-as you can see," he stammers, tapping his empty glass nervously.

Yakumo frowns. The urge to punch the guy grows stronger with each passing second. "Yeah, I heard him mention that he knew you guys. You alright?" he asks, casting a glance at the empty glass. He considers offering Rin another drink, but decides to wait and see if he asks first.

Rin looks up at Yakumo, startled. "Me? O-oh yeah! I’m fine, totally fine. H-honestly, it’s not me I’m worried about. Can I get another? Make it a whiskey," he requests.

"Maybe something lighter? Not that I mind helping you get home, I just don't want to make your sister worry," Yakumo suggests, then pauses. "Why aren't you worried about you? He had some… pretty harsh stuff to say. About you too."

It doesn't take a genius to see through Rin's confident act. "I’m-I’m used to getting deadnamed," he says emptily. "I’ve, uh, had worse growing up. But R-Rocky’s… on a whole other level. He’s got more history with Aria, I’m just collateral."

History with Aria. Something about the way Rin said that sends a jolt of anger down Yakumo's spine, but he tries his best to ignore it, in favor of comforting Rin. "Well… I hope you realize that the people who _matter_ don't see you that way," he smiles, though it's a little tense as he reaches out to take Rin's glass and refill it. "So… I'm guessing this conversation should stay between us. Maybe… not even mention to her that he was here?"

"Yeah I wouldn’t, but I wouldn't leave her alone with him either. Or near him. Or let her see him," Rin remarks. "If you could just erase his existence from her memory, that’d be nice. He’s, uh… he’s not a good memory for her."

Once again, Yakumo finds this Rocky guy in the crowd, and takes note of how intently he's staring at Aria. "Now I'm double glad I walk her home at night." He grimaces, and offers Rin his drink.

Rin takes the drink somberly. "Yeah. Me too."

Yakumo turns his attention back to Rin with a warm smile, though it's still tense around the edges. "Well… just so you know, Rin… if he does become a problem for you? I've got your back, okay?"

The surprise in Rin's eyes takes Yakumo by surprise in turn. "Thanks," he says, before busying himself with his drink.

A sense of unease still bubbles up in Yakumo's gut as he keeps his eyes focused on Rocky. The way he looks at Aria is worrisome; like he's torn between wanting her and wanting to destroy her. Coupled with the way he talked to Rin moments ago… Yakumo has a feeling he's going to be a _problem_. It doesn't matter. There's nothing he won't do to keep his friends safe. With a resolute nod and a friendly clap to Rin's shoulder, he busies himself with cleaning up after the drinks he's just made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah yes, the beginning of what Nada and I call the 'Rocky is a Fuck' chapters. I hope you're prepared to hate him. :|


	18. Rin (VIII)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin has a run-in he's not quite ready to deal with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for transphobic behavior and deadnaming.
> 
> Also, fun fact, Rocky Rosé is the name we chose for the Self-Important Revenant! It's an inside joke lmao

The banner Rin was recruited into making is finally finished. It hadn't taken Rin long, not with his current wave of creativity guiding him along, and while the finished product is not exactly what he originally drafted, Rin thinks Miss Mamiya will appreciate this version instead. 

Why a professor in their university asked  _ him  _ of all people to make a surprise birthday banner is beyond him, and why she insisted on compensating him for his time is something Rin thinks probably isn’t legal. Regardless, he’s excited to finally show her the final product just as he’s excited to show Louis his thank you-apology-thank you gift. Louis’ gift still isn’t quite finished yet, it needs another layer of paint before Rin can truly call it  _ finished _ , but his excitement is mounting with each day he works on it.

The following morning, Rin rises early with Aria and takes his breakfast to go. His classes don’t start until later in the morning. While he didn’t exactly need to wake up  _ this  _ early just to drop off a banner, Rin figures he’ll spend most of his time hunting down the pretty professor. He has no other means of contacting her, outside of asking the registration office and he’d much rather avoid troubling others if he can help it.

The campus is mostly devoid of students this early on a Tuesday morning. Most of them are already settled in their classrooms, though Rin is sure there are still fifteen more minutes before the first classes of the day start. He’s gone through five different buildings already in search of Miss Mamiya, and just when he’s about to give up and head for the registration office, Rin makes a left and finds himself in the professor hall. It’s a long stretch of hallway filled with nothing but small offices. Adjunct professors didn’t get offices, they were mostly teachers on contract for the school during the semester, but the professor hall was designed for tenured professors. 

Rin frowns in contemplation. It’s the only place on campus he hasn’t checked yet, aside from the athletic department. If he doesn’t find her name here then he still has one last place to check.

He makes his way down the hall, eyeing the closed doors and dark rooms. Plates with names are displayed on the wall beside the doors. Rin skims them in search of hers. He doesn’t know what her first name is or what department she works under. He’s never seen the woman before in his life before she hired him, and he was on his way home when that happened. 

He didn’t think about it much then, but she was aware of  _ who _ he was, even though he’s sure they’ve never met. His conversation with Aria springs back into mind and Rin’s heart begins to race. He swallows his nerves, his palms already growing sweaty. Louis never did call them back like he said he would, and he never mentioned anything about a banner the few times Rin saw him. Then again, Rin was drunk the last time Louis came around, and the other boy had been surprisingly quiet that weekend.

Rin shakes the thoughts and nerves away. It’s a coincidence. It has to be. 

Just as Rin is about to reach the end of the hallway, a familiar name catches his eye. He turns to the nameplate and blinks. It reads: K. AMAMIYA, PH.D, NURSING DEPARTMENT. The door is wide open and sitting inside is the pretty lady that practically chased him down on campus nearly a week ago.

Before Rin has a chance to speak, she turns to him, familiar red-brown eyes lighting up in recognition.

“Hello Rin,” She greets warmly. “It’s wonderful to see you again! How are things?”

“G-good.” His voice cracks. He coughs into his elbow and clears his throat. “I finished the banner you wanted from me.” He wiggles the packing tube he bought specifically for the project and watches her smile easily.

“I’m so excited to see it! I’ve been teasing my brother about it for ages.” She laughs.

Rin laughs nervously. He unrolls the cap of the packing tube and carefully pulls the banner out. He unfurls it for her and watches as Karen’s face lights up like a thousand-watt light bulb.

“It’s perfect, Rin! You’re exceptionally gifted.” She praises.

Rin blushes, unsure of how to handle such genuine praise from someone as beautiful as her. He mutters a thank you under his breath and carefully re-rolls the banner. He hands her the packing tube.

“It-it was really fun. Th-thank you.” Rin explains.

“I believe I owe you some compensation, don’t I?” She reaches into her purse in search of her wallet.

He panics. “You don’t have to! It was a lot of fun and no trouble at all—“

Karen shakes her head in disagreement. “No, I hired you to get the job done and you did it phenomenally. It’s only fair that you get compensated for the hard work.” She winks, then hands him a couple of hundreds.

Rin nearly has a heart attack. He tries to return the money but Karen is surprisingly stubborn. She relaxes easily into her chair and gives him a playful smile.

“Don’t you know it's rude to deny what’s rightfully yours?” She chuckles good-naturedly. “Louis told me a lot about you, I’m glad I made the right decision.”

Rin flushes a dark shade of red. He pockets the money, trying his best to ignore how hot his cheeks feel.

“L-Louis did, huh? S-so I guess you two  _ are  _ related…?”

Karen’s smile turns conspiratorial. “Sorry Rin, no Mittelman’s here.”

He groans. “Great, I’ll just go crawl into a hole and die from embarrassment.”

“As head of the nursing department, I would suggest you not do that for your safety and for the sake of my brother’s happiness.” She giggles.

“Hey Chucklefuck!” Someone calls from down the hall.

Rin grimaces, a wave of anxiety pooling in his gut. He bids Karen a hasty farewell, thanking her for the umpteenth time, despite the flash of concern that passes over her eyes. He leaves before she has a chance to ask him any questions, and steels himself for the inevitable.

To his surprise, Rocky waits for him down the hall. His black hoodie is up again but this time the sunglasses he usually wears are not obscuring his face. Instead they’re hanging from his collar. He’s grinning at Rin unusually, and there’s something that settles uneasily in Rin’s gut the closer he gets to Rocky. He slides past Rocky by the entrance to the stairwell, half-expecting the taller man to make a comment, but to his surprise, he doesn’t. Instead, Rocky drapes an arm around Rin’s shoulder and drags him up the stairs.

Rin fights off a wave of unwanted memories as Rocky’s cologne settles uncomfortably in his nostrils.

“What a nice surprise it is to see you this early, Alexa.” Rocky muses. ”Listen, I’ve got a favor to ask.”

“If it has anything to do with my sister, you can shove it up your ass.” Rin quips.

Rocky barks out a laugh. “Listen to you, actin’ all tough.” He snickers. “Did you get a dick?”

Rin frowns in confusion. “N-no?”

Rocky pins Rin into a nearby wall, his forearm weighing heavily against Rin’s chest. There’s a dangerous gleam in Rocky’s dark eyes that makes a chill run down Rin’s spine. It's  _ almost _ the same look Rocky had the last time they saw each other, before—

Rin forces his mind to blank.

“Then shut that filthy mouth of yours and listen to what I gotta say,” Rocky hisses. “Now, the Alexa  _ I  _ remember back in high school didn’t have such a mouth on her, so I suggest you play nice or things are gonna go south real quick. Your sister, did she say anything about me?”

“No,” Rin responds grimly.

Rocky clicks his tongue. “Probably didn’t notice I was there that  _ slut _ .”

Rin jerks under Rocky’s hold, but he doesn’t get far. The pressure Rocky has against Rin’s sternum is surprisingly heavy. It makes the weight in Rin’s chest, the one he’s been battling all weekend, even worse, but Rin refuses to show any sign of discomfort. Showing weakness in front of Rocky is the worst possible thing Rin can do. Luckily, Rocky is far too distracted with whatever is going in his head to notice the wince on Rin’s face.

“Hey,  _ hey _ , what’d I say ‘bout acting all tough, huh? You don’t want to start a fight you can’t finish.” To Rin’s surprise, Rocky releases him and fixes his hoodie. “Now here’s what I want you to do. The next time you see your sister, tell her I said  _ hi _ .” He pats Rin’s cheek. “See you in class, Lexxie.” 

With a smug smirk, Rocky slips on his sunglasses and trudges out of the building. 

Rin doesn’t dare let himself breathe until he’s sure Rocky is gone. He coughs into his hoodie, wheezing and gasping desperately for air. He really wishes he had his inhaler on hand. More than that, though, as Rin struggles regain some semblance of control over his breathing, he realizes the predicament he’s in. He has no intention of passing on Rocky’s message. He’ll be damned if he lets that guy ruin Aria’s peace of mind again after all these years.

* * *

The rest of Rin’s Tuesday remains uneventful. Outside of Rin’s more frequent coughing fits and the overall gloom Rocky leaves him in, Rin doesn’t recall much of the day, and before he knows it, it’s already Wednesday night, and Aria is preparing the first of what will become frequent dinners for Yakumo and Louis.

He  _ thumps  _ his forehead against the dining table with a loud, exasperated sigh. With Louis’ gift finally complete and drying off from its most recent coat of paint, Rin isn’t sure what’s left for him to do. He smacks his head on the table again, this time harder than the last.

Aria stands in front of the stove. She’s in the process of stuffing broccoli, bacon, and cheddar mix into four massive pieces of chicken breast when she glances over her shoulder at Rin. “What’s shakin’ bacon?” She asks gently. Rin can pick up the tone of concern in her voice. 

He sighs again and gestures wildly toward the chicken breasts. “You’re  _ ruining  _ dinner!” He whines childishly. She isn’t. Not really, but there's no way in hell Rin was going to tell Aria about his run-in with Rocky. His  _ multiple _ run-ins with Rocky.

“Says you. I, on the other hand, think it tastes delicious. And so will the others. Maybe that should be a hint to you.” She points a food-covered finger at Rin. “You'll like it. Promise.”

“I would like it  _ better  _ without those disgusting green things, Ari.” He mutters.

“And yet, here the green things are. Going into the chicken.” Aria sighs a desolate, put upon sigh. “Poor, poor Rin, with a sister who loves him enough to make him eat food that will help him live longer.  _ Poor _ , poor Rin.” She clicks her tongue teasingly.

He groans dramatically. “Why can’t you put  _ other  _ green things in? Why does it have to be broccoli? It's so bland, Ari!  _ Bland!  _ Can’t I have mine  _ without  _ the tiny trees?”

Aria shakes her head. “Nopers, dopers!” She rolls the stuffed chicken breast in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs, and puts them in the oven. She turns to the sink to wash her hands. “The cheddar makes the broccoli less bland. You'll be fine, I know you will. You're a strong, powerful, big boy now. You can do it.” She takes a pan of carrots and covers them with butter and several dollops of brown sugar. “When have I ever made something you didn’t end up liking?”

“When have you ever successfully gotten me to eat vegetables?” He deadpans.

He doesn’t like the smirk she gives him. It’s far too smug and  _ knowing _ . “More often than you think, Sunshine.” She grins cryptically, sliding the carrots into the oven. She moves onto frying the potatoes on the stove.

Rin watches her suspiciously, feeling like she’s pulled the rug from under him. “But not  _ broccoli _ ,” he insists petulantly.

“But you’ll eat it. I’m sure of it.” She smirks knowingly.

“No, I won’t.” He slumps in his chair, nearly sliding off of it with how low he goes. The kitchen is starting to smell like spiced chicken, and despite Aria ruining it with broccoli, Rin’s stomach gurgles in desire. 

“Oh, but what will  _ Louis _ say, if he sees you picking broccoli out of your chicken, Sunshine?” Aria puts a hand over her mouth, scandalized.

Rin rolls his eyes. “Nothing because if he’s as 'attracted' to me as you say he is then he’ll have to like me with all my faults included.”

She laughs then puts her spatula at him. “But, wouldn’t that  _ also  _ mean he wants you to live longer? Just like me?”

“Green tea makes you live longer,” He adds cheekily. 

Aria levels him with an unimpressed look. “When was the last time you actually drank green tea, Sunshine?” She asks him flatly. “And not Sprite or Monster.”

He shrugs, unbothered. “I can get into it.” He answers simply. 

“I’ll believe it when I see it. It's either green tea or green trees. And since I can make broccoli palatable, well…” She gestures to the oven. “Green trees it is.”

Rin sticks his tongue out defiantly.

Aria doesn’t bother hiding the triumphant smirk that quirks her lips. “You'll see. It's not that bad. Plus, the carrots are candied and I  _ know _ you'll like those. You and that insatiable sweet tooth of yours. Do you think they'll—”

The shrill sound of their doorbell screaming drowns out Aria’s question. She glances at the door, seeming surprised by the boys’ quick arrival. 

“Ah. You got it?” She asks Rin. “Maybe…  _ without  _ slamming the door in their faces this time?’

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve graduated from that,” Rin sniffs snootily. He rises from the chair and approaches the door. Without any hesitation, he swings the door open and dramatically throws his body against the doorframe. He uses his leg as a makeshift gate, preventing Yakumo and Louis from entering. In a dramatized version of a sultry voice, he greets: “ _ Boys. _ ”

Yakumo’s eyes widen in a desperate attempt not to laugh. “Uh… cast those eyes  _ that _ way.” He gestures toward Louis, who merely smirks.

“Next time you shouldn’t be so eager to ring the doorbell,” Louis quips.

“ _ Dude! _ ” Yakumo squeaks, sounding scandalized. He tries to hide a blush, but with two boxes of baked goods in his hands, it’s impossible.

Louis soundly ignores Yakumo, focusing his attention on Rin instead. “Nice leg.” He grins.

Rin laughs away his embarrassment, and hopes the heat on his cheeks isn’t noticeable. “Thanks. I was born with it.” He drops his leg and steps aside for them to enter.

“You sure it wasn’t Maybelline?” Yakumo teases, stepping into the apartment.

“The world may never know,” Rin grins. From over his shoulder, he yells: “Aria, your  _ boy toy  _ is here!”

“ _ Dude! _ ”

“ _ Rin! _ ” Aria cries from the kitchen. She pokes her head into the living room, giving the boys an embarrassed wave. “Uh… hi. Sorry about him, he's in a really weird mood today.”

Rin fakes a scandalized scoff. “You say weird but this is just me on a normal day.”

“Putting your name with the word normal is like putting oil with vinegar. Doesn't mix, but comes out amazing.” She sticks her tongue out playfully, then heads out from the kitchen to take the baked goods from Yakumo. “Thanks.” She smiles bashfully.

He smiles in return, looking just as bashful as Aria. “I made sugar cookies and strawberry cake, like you said.” He adds.

Rin quirks an eyebrow. “Oh, like  _ you  _ said, hmmm.” He rubs his chin. “ _ Interesting _ .  _ Very  _ interesting.”

Yakumo’s face flushes several shades of red, while Aria gives Rin a warning look. Rin laughs, holding up his hands in defense. 

“What? I didn’t say anything.” He shares a sly smirk with Louis, who chuckles at his antics.

“For your  _ information _ , not that you  _ deserve it _ , you two…” She points between Rin and Louis, “he asked me if I needed help with anything, and I said the cake he brought last week was amazing, so maybe he could help by bringing something sweet.”

“Sweet huh?” Louis murmurs coyly.

“Oh, he brought something  _ sweet  _ alright.” Rin chuckles. He nudges Louis carefully on the side as if to emphasize his point, before coughing into his fist. His cough sounds suspiciously like: “ _ that ass _ ”.

Yakumo looks like he’d rather be anywhere but there in that moment. His cheeks are about as red as his hair and his eyes dart everywhere but at the twins or Louis. “Can we just… delete this conversation, please?” He begs.

From the kitchen, Aria flings two large chunks of cooked potato at Louis and Rin. Louis’ potato chunk misses as it narrowly flies over his head. Rin’s, on the other hand, smacks him right in the middle of his forehead with an ugly-sounding  _ splat _ . “Consider the conversation  _ deleted _ .” She states.

Rubbing his forehead grumpily, Rin pouts. “You can’t delete a verbal conversation.”

“I think I just did,” She huffs. She turns to Louis, a wry grin crossing her face. “Hey Louis, did you know you're attracted to a boy who refuses to eat a single green vegetable? Like the mature grown-up that he is?”

Louis blinks, first in surprise and then in realization. He turns to Rin with a wry smirk of his own. “I knew there was a reason why I liked you.”

Rin is torn between beaming and blushing a deep shade of red that matches Yakumo’s hair, and currently his face. So instead, his body decides the best reaction is to spontaneously combust. He buries his face into his hands and squeaks.

Aria, on the other hand, sighs dramatically. “And here I was thinking you were a  _ sensible _ boy, Louis. Yakumo, at least tell me  _ you _ appreciate healthy food, so there's hope for  _ someone _ else in this room.”

“Oh yeah, definitely. I’ll eat pretty much anything,” He smiles.

Rin’s face lights up like a thousand-watt lightbulb. “ _ Anything _ ?” He leads smugly.

Yakumo eyes Rin warily. “What  _ is  _ this, everyone gangs up on Yakumo night?” 

“Sorry Yakumo, you’re not really my type.”

Louis nods in agreement. “You can barely handle on Frey let alone all three of us, Yakumo.”

“Until you've figured out what's going on with  _ your _ preferred Frey twin, I don't think you have  _ any _ room to talk,  _ Lulu _ .” Yakumo smirks.

Rin and Louis turn a matching shade of red. They avoid each other's gaze, neither of them wanting to give Yakumo any more credit. From the kitchen, they hear Aria’s bark of laughter.

“Now, now boys, you’re all pretty.” She quips, scraping the potatoes onto a serving plate. “No need to go for the jugular, right?” She glances at Louis, smirking. “Although… Rin, you’d better not do that booty dance again. Louis might get…  _ distracted. _ ” She teases.

Rin feels like he’s overheating. He tries to think of a comeback, but the only thing his brain does is recall the distracted look on Louis’ face on that fateful night. “S-shut up! You didn’t have to bring  _ that  _ up!” He pulls his indoor hoodie over his butt and glances at Louis, who happened to be staring. “That doesn’t give you permission to stare!” He shrieks.

Louis looks away, still flustered. “I wasn’t,” He mutters. “I’m sorry. Will dinner be ready soon? I’m  _ starving _ .” He immediately retreats into the kitchen, away from Rin’s death glare, but more importantly, away from Rin’s evidently-dangerous ass.

“That one’s too easy,” Yakumo laughs. 

“And yet, I'm going to go after it anyway.” She points to Louis suddenly. “Starving, or  _ starved? _ ”

“Aria,  _ please _ ,” Louis begs. 

“Alright, alright,” She smirks. “Truce? All four of us?” When a unanimous 'yes' reaches Aria’s ears, she smiles at them all in satisfaction. “Oh! Sunshine! We should give them their stuff.”

“Stuff?” Yakumo asks, sounding intrigued. 

“Oh yeah, of course.” Rin grins if only to shake off the embarrassment from earlier. “Aria went on a shopping spree and bought you two gifts. I’ll grab it.” He runs up the stairs in search of their gifts and returns with a couple of gift bags. He tries to shake away the nervousness that creeps into his limbs as he carefully carries their gifts into the living room. Louis’ thank-you-apology-thank-you-apology gift weighs heavily in his right hand. It’s not a particularly heavy sculpture, but for whatever reason, it feels like it weighs a ton today.

“These are grateful-apology presents from the disastrous duo.” He comments, handing Yakumo’s bag first and then Louis’.

“A shopping spree, huh?” Yakumo grins. He sits in a dining chair and looks through the bag at the clothing, pulling everything out one by one.

“Yeah, I... went thrifting, and I saw a bunch of stuff that reminded me of the way you guys dress. So… I thought… you know.” Aria laughs awkwardly. “I hope it's not weird.” She takes that moment to avoid their gaze, peers into the oven and removes the carrots. 

Louis searches through his clothing bag first, marveling at the sets of clothes Aria bought for him. The appreciation in his eyes is genuine. “Wow, thank you Aria. I feel really honored.” He glances at the final gift bag curiously. “Is this what I think it is?”

“Well, it’s not a dirty picture of me, that’s for sure.” Rin teases. His widen in realization as a blush crawls up the nape of his neck. “I-I-I mean— _ wow _ , who left the heat on? I should go check the thermostat.” He makes a show of checking the thermostat on the wall facing furthest away from Louis.

Louis chuckles, though Rin is sure Louis is blushing just as red as he is.

“Rin showed me. I think you’ll love it.” Aria smiles warmly. If she planned on saying anything more, she doesn’t get the chance to.

When Rin finally tears his eyes away from the thermostat, he catches sight of Yakumo standing in front of Aria, his arms wrapped tightly around her. 

“I dunno how you figured my style out already, but… I can see myself wearing this stuff all the time. Thanks, Aria.” Rin hears him say.

He doesn’t catch Aria’s response, or if she responded period, because he’s too busy digging into his pocket for his phone. He selects the camera app as quickly as his fingers are able, and snaps a picture of their embrace before it's over. The flash goes off, blinding the duo. He grimaces.  _ Whoops! _

“You guys are cute,” He smirks wryly. “Don’t worry Yakumo, I’ll send you a copy later.” He winks.

Stepping out of the hug, Aria shoots Rin an incredulous look. “ _ We called a truce _ !”

“Actually, I think all he did was mumble. I don’t think he ever agreed to the truce,” Yakumo chuckles. He returns to his chair and carefully sits his gift bag aside, so it’s out of the way but still within his vicinity.

Louis takes advantage of the distraction and leaves his chair unnoticed. He’s by Rin’s side before any of them can register his movement and presses a gentle kiss to Rin’s temple. Rin immediately flushes a most impressive shade of red but before Rin can make a sound, Louis leans into his ear and whispers, “Come with me to the museum on Friday. There’s a new exhibit I’d love for you to see.” Louis pulls away, and Rin doesn’t miss the way his dusty-red eye sweeps around his face as though admiring the red on Rin’s cheeks. 

Rin opens his mouth then snaps it shut. He tries again but the only sound that comes out is a wheeze. He clears his throat in an attempt to salvage his dignity. “Sure. Yeah. Okay. I’m down.” He pats Louis’ chest jokingly but ends up pausing, surprised by Louis’ sturdiness. “Hnn—y-yeah. O-okay. D-did I say that already?”

“Yeah, pretty sure,” Louis smiles warmly. He finally pulls away from Rin, giving him a chance to breathe. “So it’s a date.” He finalizes. 

Rin’s eyes jump between Louis’ retreating back, to Yakumo watching them and to Aria, who remains smirking. “Um, l-like a date-date?!”

Over his shoulder, still sounding pleased, Louis nods. “Yup. Say around noon?”

“Oh! Well! Okay then! Excuse me one second.” Rin bolts up the stairs, screaming his lungs out. 

He rushes into his bedroom and screams loudly into his pillow until he’s coughing into the fabric. He knows very well that he can’t stay up here for long or Aria will come for him, and despite how desperately Rin wants to jump out the window and flee, a part of him is also… excited. In an effort to dispel the sudden wave of energy overwhelming him, Rin peels off his hoodie and slides into a more dressy, yet casual, black jacket. He leaves it open, revealing the thin black shirt underneath, and then makes his way back down the stairs.

He bursts into the living room just as Aria reaches the stairway door, and gives them all a bright, meaningful smile. 

“I’m cool. I’m calm. I totally didn’t contemplate jumping out the window and running away to Coco’s.” He rejoins the group and takes his place easily next to Yakumo in the kitchen, across from Louis, at the table. “I am here. Rejoice in my return.”

“Wow, I’m impressed Rin.” Louis compliments easily. “That’s some character development from a week ago. I was worried I wouldn’t see you again after this.”

“Louis, if I knew you were this snarky back during the tour, I think my crush on you would’ve solidified further.” Rin quips. It startles him how easily the words slip from his lips, but the way Louis’ eyes widen in surprise seems like the perfect reward for him.

It’s at that moment Rin realizes Louis left his gift in the living room and wonders if Louis plans on asking him about it later.

He doesn’t get a chance to dwell further on the subject, as Aria’s voice filters back into his brain. “Wow. Who is this stranger and what has he done with my brother? Is there like… a pod upstairs with him in it, and this is an alien who took his place?” She smiles affectionately, proudly, at Rin.

“Invasion of the body snatchers?” Yakumo helpfully supplies.

“Or  _ booty _ snatchers.” Aria quips. “ I-d-k, Louis, is his butt still the same?” She smirks wryly.

“Last time I checked it was.”

Rin can feel his face grow hot again as he groans. “Can we  _ not  _ talk about my butt before dinner? Thanks.”

“Fine, fine. Speaking of which, saddle up for some really,  _ really _ amazing chicken.” Aria takes the foil off the chicken and puts it on a serving dish, bringing it to the table. When she passes by Rin, she leans down and whispers: “Proud of you, Sunshine.” She kisses the top of his head softly.

He ducks his head shyly and murmurs a quiet, but heartfelt  _ thank you _ .

“Sibling secrets?” Yakumo smiles, watching them fondly. 

“Would seem so,” Louis laughs lightly. “Thank you for the wonderful meal again, Aria.”

“Don’t mention it.” She beams, then goes back to the oven to get the candied carrots, before the four settle in for their meal.


	19. The Yaria Date Chapter (I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a quiet, sheepish voice, Yakumo murmurs, "Sounds like _I_ owe him one, too, then."
> 
> Casting him a sidelong glance, Aria can't help but smirk. "Wow, that was smooth," she teases, though she feels heat rushing to her cheeks again.
> 
> As they walk, Aria feels Yakumo's fingers brush against hers. She turns her head and looks down between them, and can't fight a smile at the way it almost seems like he's seeking her hand out. He hasn't expressed anything, and he isn't actively seeking her hand out, but she can tell by the angle of his hand when he's brushing against hers that he's trying to act like he isn't trying for it. It's endearing, and it's very Yakumo, she realizes.
> 
> _Oh my god, is it actually possible for a guy to be this adorable?_

Aria sits on the floor in her moon and star dress, anxiety making it hard for her to stay still. The night prior, she'd gotten confirmation from Yakumo that he'd be there to pick her up at seven o'clock, and every second the clock ticks closer to seven, she finds herself more and more nervous. It's been so long since she's been on a date—not that this is a date—especially one with a nice guy.

Rin sits behind her, braiding her hair, and Aria fidgets again, nerves refusing to allow her to keep still.

Her mind flies into a whirlwind of worries. Things are nice right now. They're good. Yakumo is a good friend. He's one of the nicest people Aria has ever met. What if this changes things? What if she screws up somehow; makes Yakumo mad at her and after this he doesn't want to talk to her anymore? The what-ifs attack her brain from all angles, and though she tries, she can't chase them away.

"What if this is a mistake?" Aria murmurs quietly.

In a gentle voice, Rin replies, "It’s not a mistake, you’ll be fine."

Aria jumps, realizing she'd vocalized her thoughts. "Oh…" She bites her lip, unaware that she's smeared the red lipstick she'd just put on. "I mean… how do we know? What if… I mean, he's a good friend. What if I ruin everything somehow?"

Rin continues braiding the length of her hair. "You won’t, I promise," he reassures her. "You’re going to have a fun time and it’s going to be _amazing_ and you’ll share a big ol’ kiss with Yakumo under the stars."

The thought of kissing Yakumo makes her laugh aloud. "N-no. I'm… I'm not gonna kiss him," she insists. It's not even a _date_. Neither of them had used that word and she doesn't want to assume. "H-hey, maybe if this goes well… we can go on a double date—uh… double _hangout_—with them sometime."

"S-sure!" Rin stammers, laughing a nervous note as he ties off the end of her braid.

Aria hears the sound of a spray bottle behind her, and waits for the water to settle before she speaks again. "Can you believe… we _both_ have da—uh… I mean... p-plans with cute guys this week?" Once she's sure he's done with her hair, she chances a glance over her shoulder at him.

"I can’t. I’m still pinching myself," he admits as he looks her over. "You might want to fix your make up again."

Blinking in surprise, Aria nods. "R-right. Okay," she agrees. She heads for the bathroom, but leaves the door open so they can continue talking. "Oh my god, what happened to my lipstick? It was fine before!" She sighs and gathers a tube of lipstick from the bathroom drawer. "Wow, Rin, this braid looks great!"

Rin leans against the bathroom doorway with his arms crossed against his chest. "Thanks. I think I really outdid myself."

"I _know_ you did. My flyaways didn't even get a chance to take off tonight!" Aria quickly fixes her lipstick and the concealer beneath her lip as well. With her look finally complete, she turns to Rin, holds her arms out in display, and does a twirl. "What d'you think? Passable?"

The warm smile on Rin's face makes Aria's chest feel light. "You’re beautiful," he tells her.

Aria smiles nervously. "Sunshine, you're the best. I never would've come up with this outfit without your help," she admits.

Rin's voice is gentle. "I hope you have a wonderful time tonight, Ari. You really deserve it."

Does she? Rin seems so sure that she deserves happiness, that she deserves to be in the presence of a guy like Yakumo and have him treat her so nicely, but… does she? Does she really? What has she done to deserve such a nice guy? All she really does is… well… her best, to be honest. She hasn't done anything spectacular, or worthy of praise. Does she _really_ deserve someone special like Yakumo—hell, like _Rin_—in her life?

The shrill sound of the doorbell snaps Aria from her thoughts. She jumps practically out of her skin and turns to look at the door like there's a monster on the other side of it.

"I-is it seven already?!" she squawks.

Rin nods. "Do you want me to get it?" he asks.

Snapping her head back toward Rin, she nods awkwardly. "Uh… y-yeah. I need to fix my eyeliner too. I'm not sure what I did, but suddenly everything on my face is a mess." She chuckles. It's an excuse, and she's sure Rin knows it, because her makeup is more or less immaculate now that she's fixed it. Even so, she hopes he'll humor her.

With a chuckle, Rin heads for the door, and Aria rushes to the bathroom, shutting the door as soon as she's inside.

"Hey Yakumo!" Rin greets as it opens. He gives a wolf-whistle. "Wow, look at you."

_You can do this. Aria tells herself. It's just Yakumo, right? You… you hang out with him all the time at work, and he's even been to your apartment, so you've got _nothing_ to worry about._

Through the thin walls of the house, Aria hears the hushed mumbles of Yakumo's voice, when he replies to Rin. "Uh… thanks. Figured it was appropriate to wear the stuff Aria got for me, since… you know," he trails off, then lets out a soft huff of laughter.

_It's fine, Rin's right._ Aria's panicked thinking continues. _Just two friends getting together to have some fun. Nothing… nothing too crazy about that!_

Rin's voice permeates her thoughts. "It looks good. Aria picked the right clothes for you," he says, his voice barely muffled by the wall.

"Thanks," Yakumo chuckles again. "Is… is she still getting ready?"

_Okay. Okay, I can do this, it's fine. I'm fine._

Aria steps out of the bathroom, wearing a nervous smile. "Yup! I was." She waves. "Sorry. I'm ready now, though!"

At first, Yakumo doesn't say anything. He just stares at her, his lips quirking into a lopsided smirk, standing with one hand behind his back.

Rin sidles up to Yakumo’s side and stage whispers, "This is the part where you compliment her outfit and give her the flowers." He elbows Yakumo playfully. "Or give me money, that works too."

"_Rin!_" Aria huffs.

"Uh… f-flowers, right." Yakumo laughs at his own expense, as he crosses the room. "I'd think giving you money would make it look like you paid me to ask her out, don't you think?" He pauses in front of Aria and offers out an impressive bouquet of aster flowers. "I, uh… you look amazing."

Aria stares at the flowers for a moment, unable to do anything but blink in surprise. "Y-you really _did_ get flowers…" she stammers. A smile breaks out across her face as she takes the flowers, then turns to look at him. "Those clothes look familiar."

Yakumo smirks. "Yeah, this really pretty girl gave 'em to me. I would've felt like an ass not wearing them," he muses.

Heat rushes to Aria's cheeks, and she feels like the breath is being stolen from her lungs. "Wow, that was… really cheesy but kinda endearing at the same time. I dunno how you managed to pull that off." She turns her eyes to the flowers, hoping that no one notices the red in her face.

The warm laugh Yakumo gives in response steals her breath even further.

"_Yoink!_" Rin announces as he takes the flowers from Aria. "I don't know, Yakumo, I think next time you should pay me instead of getting flowers, but I’ll take care of these for you since I’m _such_ a great brother." Without another word, he heads for the kitchen in search of a place to put them. 

It only occurs to Aria in that moment that their only vase is still occupied with Louis’ flowers.

Yakumo laughs warmly. "Wow. Does your brother often steal stuff from you like that?"

With a smirk, Aria gives Rin a pointed look as she answers. "Only when he's being extra bratty," she turns to Yakumo, but speaks loudly enough for Rin to hear her when she continues. "Before we go, I feel like I should remind him that I have that old pottery vase he made for me in fifth grade in my room. I feel like that'd be _perfect_ for those flowers."

Rin pops back into the living room and settles Aria with a playful glare. "Aria, I told you to burn that damn thing years ago," he whines as he makes his way for the stairs. "By the way, Yakumo, I don’t expect her back any earlier than six a.m. tomorrow so be nice, do good, stay out late, have fun, stay safe and wear protection!"

Without another word, Rin runs up the stairs with the flowers.

"Oh my god…" Aria murmurs, covering her face with her hand. She's torn between turning even redder and laughing, so she unwittingly decides to do both at once.

Luckily, it seems like Yakumo is also blushing. "Wow… so, would you hate me forever if I said I missed the shy, polite Rin I first met?" he jokes with a nervous laugh.

Aria laughs and leads the way toward the door. "Oh, he's always been like this, believe it or not. Just… now it's more than me who's on the receiving end of it. I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm honestly… really happy he's coming out of his shell." She pauses and smiles. "It means he's comfortable around you. It's nice not to have to worry as much."

She lets Yakumo leave first, then closes the door behind her, for once not worried about Rin. Dinner is in the fridge for him, he has an inhaler if he needs it, and he's in a much better place than he has been recently… so she truly feels like she has nothing to worry about. She allows herself an honest smile as she walks down the front stairs.

With a chuckle, she adds, "I mean, I'll _always_ worry about him, because it's just the way I am, but…"

"Nah, I get it. You're proud of him." He smirks as he slows his stride to keep pace with her.

Aria chuckles. "Yeah, I am. Really proud. I'm proud that he… y'know, was honest with himself, I'm proud that he's letting himself be happy and that he's actually taking the chance and going for Louis like I know he wants to." As she walks, she idly swings her arms back and forth.

"Sounds to me like he's lucky to have you as a sister."

Aria smirks, turning to glance at Yakumo. "He says that a lot, too," she admits. "Like I told Louis, though… Rin's saved me just as much as I've saved him. Maybe more. Almost _definitely_ more, actually."

In a quiet, sheepish voice, Yakumo murmurs, "Sounds like _I_ owe him one, too, then."

Casting him a sidelong glance, Aria can't help but smirk. "Wow, that was smooth," she teases, though she feels heat rushing to her cheeks again.

As they walk, Aria feels Yakumo's fingers brush against hers. She turns her head and looks down between them, and can't fight a smile at the way it almost seems like he's seeking her hand out. He hasn't expressed anything, and he isn't actively seeking her hand out, but she can tell by the angle of his hand when he's brushing against hers that he's trying to act like he isn't trying for it. It's endearing, and it's very Yakumo, she realizes.

_Oh my god, is it actually possible for a guy to be this adorable?_

Aria decides to meet him halfway, and the next time his hand brushes against hers, she catches it mid-swing and slides their fingers together. She feels him tense nervously, and turns to him with an easy smile on her face. Something about knowing that she's not the only one nervous about this whole thing… makes her feel at ease. 

It seems like he faces most things with confidence, so to see him so flustered… it's something of a relief. Maybe that's mean, but as she closes her fingers around his hand and he smirks that adorable, lopsided smirk at her, she can't help but think that he won't see it that way.

"If you wanted to hold my hand, you only had to say so," Aria murmurs flirtatiously.

Yakumo smirks back at her, then weaves his fingers gently between hers. "Guess so, huh? Sorry, this is uh… I haven't been on a date in a long time. Guess I forgot the protocol."

She stops for a second, the sudden change in motion tugging on Yakumo's arm and taking him by surprise. As he turns toward her, she turns his words over in his head and tries to figure out if she was imagining things or not.

"Date, huh?"

Once again, Yakumo seems surprised. Aria doesn't think she's ever seen a blush so deep, but Yakumo nods in spite of it. "Um… yeah. I mean, I thought… did you not think—"

There it is again, that endearingly bumbling nervousness that he exhibits every time someone takes him off guard with something regarding romance. While Aria has spent the last few days so sure that it wouldn't be a date, that little slip of the tongue takes everything she thought she was sure about and throws it out the window.

Yet, she can't find it in her to complain. In fact, rather than make her feel more nervous, the fact that he sees it as a date almost seems to bolster her.

Aria nudges him gently with her shoulder, a smile spreading across her face. "I haven't been on a date in a while either," she admits with a shrug. "Long as you don't set my dress on fire or push me down a flight of stairs or harm me in any other way, I think we'll be okay."

With a laugh, Yakumo releases her hand and slides his arm around her middle instead. "Damn, and I was totally going to do all of those things."

"Yeah, an important part of a proper date is to get all that stuff out in the open," Aria teases as she leans into him and smirks. "Make sure you and your date are both on the same page. You think we can make it through the night _without_ physical maiming and still have a good time?"

Yakumo laughs warmly, the same type of laugh that always makes her heart skip a beat. "Pretty sure, yeah."

"So, this diner," Aria leads. "Where is it?"

With Yakumo's free hand, he points out toward the city area of Vein in the distance. "Not too far, actually. Closer than Ichor, but in the opposite direction, as you can tell."

Aria looks around. Her shopping trip was in the opposite direction, too. All the thrift stores in Vein are on the other side of the Vertigo Strip, so she truly hasn't been in this direction yet. It appears to be a slightly more upscale part of town. The houses are a lot nicer than the low-income apartments surrounding the dorms. It reminds Aria of her dream, to own a big house with Rin, both of them living with the loves of their lives.

As she turns to look at Yakumo, she wonders…

She quickly shakes the thought away. Way too soon to be thinking stuff like that, especially since she really doesn't know that much about him. In spite of her thoughts, she finds herself completely beguiled by the feeling of his arm around her. It's just as warm and comfortable as it's been every other time, and she's almost positive that she'll get addicted to this feeling if it keeps up.

"Nice houses, wow."

Once the words escape, she winces and makes a face at her own expense. _Smooth, Aria. Really smooth._

Yakumo doesn't seem fazed. "Yeah, we're actually about to pass this one house that I've always dreamed of having," he admits with a nervous chuckle. "It's high on a hill, and—you know what, why don't you just look for yourself. Right over there," he explains, pointing to the opposite side of the road.

Aria follows his gaze up a small knoll to what appears to be a two-story brick house. The bricks are bright red, the trim is white, and the second story windows have black shutters on them. Aria sees a two-car garage on the side, and several trees planted in the yard, and she smiles. It's beautiful, but what's more charming to her is the way Yakumo looks at it as his dream home. She glances up at him briefly and wonders what he's thinking.

Once again, she follows his gaze up the hill and looks at the house and the grand, expansive yard. An image sparks in the back of her mind.

It starts off as a snapshot. Just a little moment in time, when she sees herself standing in the large glass doorway with a basket of food. In the front yard are Rin, Louis, and Yakumo, all sitting on the patio set in the gazebo. The snapshot changes into a slow, frame by frame movie where Aria brings the basket of food out to the gazebo and starts putting it on the patio set table for them all to eat.

In her fantasy, right before she snaps back to reality, Yakumo reaches out, draws her close, and kisses her—

The sound of Yakumo's laugh snaps her out of her fantasy. When she looks at him, she sees him rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "Sorry, I didn't mean to zone out."

Aria feels her cheeks heating up, but she turns her head so he can't see the red inevitably tinging her cheeks. "No, it's okay! I don't mind. You said it was your dream house. I guess you really weren't kidding."

"Yeah," He pulls her a little closer. "When I was a kid, depending on what foster home I was in at the time, I'd have to walk by here to get to school. Sometimes, I'd see parents in the yard, piling into the car to drive their kids to school, so I guess it sort of represents… an ideal for me? Does that sound dumb?"

"Not even a little. I get it, believe me."

With a grin, Yakumo muses, "Should've known you would."

Aria nods. "When I was younger, I did the same thing. I mean, more commonly than I do now." She glances over her shoulder at the house as it disappears behind them. "More with people than with houses. I'd see people with these normal lives and be like… really jealous. I'd imagine myself and Rin in their shoes. With parents. Real, actual homes to go back to. I totally understand getting sentimental about a house."

Empathy lines Yakumo's eyes, and he nods in understanding and commiseration. "Yeah. Look at you, though. You're amazing, even without all that normal life stuff. You took what the world handed you, and let it make you this force to be reckoned with. Strong, cool, fun. Most people who've been through what you have can't say that."

She reaches her other hand up and pokes Yakumo in the chest. "Well, I know one person who can."

"Who, me?" Yakumo seems surprised.

Poking him in the chest again, Aria nods eagerly. "Well, _yeah_ you! You're all that stuff, too. Strong. Cool. Fun. Really easy to talk to." She smirks up at him, a gentle playful glint in her eye as she continues. "Most people who've been through what you have can't say that."

A playful glint dances in Yakumo's eyes. "Wow. Gotta catch those words you just threw back in my face, Ari."

The nickname coming from someone who isn't Rin sounds strange, but it isn't a bad strange. Yakumo's voice is warm and gentle, and the way the nickname sounds when he says it brings a fluttering feeling to Aria's chest. She meets Yakumo's yellow-green eyes and smiles.

"What can I say? I call 'em as I see 'em."

Yakumo ducks his head bashfully for a second, then smiles at her. He looks ahead again and points in the distance. "There's the diner," he tells her.

Aria follows his gaze, then pauses and blinks. She lifts her hand to rub her eyes and make sure she isn't misreading. She gently pushes out of his embrace, then turns and looks at him with incredulous, but amused, eyes. There, in neon lights, atop a large signpost, is a sign that reads 'the Milky Hog.' Aside from the absurdity of the name itself, the logo on the sign is somehow even more absurd. 

A neon backlit pig smiles at them from the top of the sign, waving its piggy arm and pouring neon milk droplets into its open mouth. It's simultaneously the most amazing, ridiculous, and accidentally—at least Aria thinks so—perverted sign she's ever seen.

"Okay. Okay hold on. H-hold on a second here." Even though her voice is somewhat level, she's barely holding back a horrible fit of giggles. "Am I like… am I dreaming or does that sign say 'the Milky Hog?' Like… a pig covered in milk?"

Yakumo doesn't bother to hide his grin. "No, that's what it says," he says, watching her closely.

With a hand over her mouth, desperately trying to cover her mouth and hold back laughter, Aria meets his eye. "S-so, for our first date… you're taking me to a diner called the _Milky Hog_?" A teasing smirk crosses her face.

Though it's dark, Aria can see the faint hint of pink on Yakumo's cheeks. "Yeah. I mean, I wasn't trying to… I just wanted to see what you'd say about the name… I'm not—"

Aria grabs Yakumo's hand and starts hurrying down the street. "Okay, if that sign is any indication of what it looks like on the inside, I'm _dying_ to see it!" she calls out.

Yakumo willingly lets Aria drag him down the sidewalk toward the diner, laughing the whole way. "This. _This_ is the reaction I was hoping for."

They run, hand in hand, down the sidewalk. A few people on the other side of the road watch them incredulously, but Aria couldn't care less if she tried. Having her hand in Yakumo's is a rush like she's never felt before. She's fully aware that he could probably outrun her without even trying, but he slows his pace considerably to let her stay in step with him. When they get to the door, Aria is breathless from running so far, but she can't wipe the smile from her face.

As they slow down and head for the door, she feels Yakumo's arm wrap around her again, and her lips curl into an even bigger smile.

The scenery inside is… not what Aria expected at all. She expected some kind of redneck hick scenery; skinny boys wearing hog heads while the waitresses were dressed in milk cartons. That, however, was not what she got. The diner was decked out in impressive 80's decor. Brick walls lined with neon lights. Neon barstools lined up against a backlit milkshake bar. Pictures of 80's musicians hang from the walls, and Aria can't help but smile as she turns to look at Yakumo.

"Whoa," Aria murmurs.

Yakumo smirks openly. "Let me guess. You were expecting something from Deliverance?" he asks.

Aria chuckles. "Well, I mean… with a name like the Milky Hog? How did they even… who even—"

"They kept it just for the irony, I think." He laughs. "C'mon, let's find a seat."

Aria follows Yakumo's lead as he takes her through the diner to a table near the middle. Most of the others are full, groups of people chattering and laughing, having a good time with their friends. Aria's eyes travel to the dance floor, where several people try their best not to look like fools. Aria doesn't boast to be a professional dancer, but she has some skill. Enough to prevent herself from looking like a fool on stage, at least. 

Her eyes flick across the table to Yakumo. She wonders if he can dance at all; if he'd be _willing_ to dance with her. Maybe later. For now, she's content to sit across from him in their booth, and enjoy the way he looks at her like she's the only woman in the world.

"You totally get my aesthetic already, bringing me to a place like this," she says instead.

Yakumo grins. "Yeah, it was partially because I wanted to see what you'd say when you found out the name, and partially because I know what it's like inside. As soon as I got the idea to ask you out, this was the first place that popped into my head for us to go."

Intrigue pulls Aria's eyebrows up. "When was that, exactly?" she asks.

"Huh?"

Aria grins. "When did you get the idea to ask me out?" she elaborates.

With a bashful, nervous laugh, Yakumo looks at her from across the table. "I think… after I helped you get Rin home the Saturday after we met. I know it's quick but—"

"But there's something about you," she finishes with a smirk, then glances down at the tiny soda menu that they put on each of the tables. "I thought the same about you. It's… it's okay."

Yakumo perks up, and looks at Aria with a surprisingly genuine smile. "That's… that's good to know."

They're saved from continuing this line of conversation when the waitress shows up, dressed in the gaudiest neon green t-shirt dress with a little milk-carton-wearing pig logo on it. Aria isn't sure if her crimped, fringey side ponytail is her normal hairstyle or something she's forced to wear for work. Either way, she feels nothing but sympathy for this poor girl, who looks miserable as she reads them the specials and waits for them to order.

After they order, and the waitress departs, Aria glances across the table at Yakumo again.

"So, I hear rumors that you're something of a hockey player." She smirks across the table at him.

Yakumo laughs and shrugs. "Yeah. I used to be, anyway. Don't really have the time to play anymore, you know? I love it, though. I go to the Vein U practices at least once a week. I was actually there this morning."

Curiosity tugs at Aria's mind, and she quirks her head. "Why don't you play anymore? I mean. I know you said you don't have time, but…"

"It's really just the time thing, to be honest," he admits with a shrug. "I have one day off a week. If I want to not be dead at work on the weekends, I've gotta spend it relaxing."

She nods, then gestures around them at the restaurant. "Aren't you spending it here right now?" he asks with a chuckle.

"Well, yeah, but… being around you _is_ relaxing to me."

Aria smirks coyly at him. "Wow. That was super smooth." She pauses for a moment as the waitress delivers their drinks. They thank her, and then Aria turns to Yakumo once she leaves. "It must be hard. Giving up something you love like that. I think I'd probably be crushed if I had to give up music like that all of a sudden."

Yakumo hums thoughtfully, nodding his head. "It's…" he laughs ruefully, "it's not my _favorite_ thing. That said, I really do like going to practices, and sometimes to games. I've got a couple of friends who did make the team, and I like to be there for them, you know? Makes me feel like I'm still involved, even if I'm not actually on the team."

"You have a really positive attitude. It's nice."

With a smirk, Yakumo shrugs. "I've been told I have my head in the clouds, so thanks. It's nice to hear that someone doesn't mind it," he chuckles.

Aria taps her chin thoughtfully. "Well, you are really tall. Your head is like… way closer to the clouds than mine," she teases with a grin.

"It is pretty funny when we stand side by side. You barely come up to my shoulder."

Usually, jabs at her height annoy her, but Yakumo's gentle tone makes it easier to take. "That's okay. Just makes it easier to lean against you when you put your arm around me." She gives him a flirty smile, before taking a sip from her drink.

Yakumo's grin grows wider. "You do kinda… nestle in there comfortably, don't you?" He laughs, but there's a distinct hint of pink on his cheeks.

Their food shows up and the conversation continues as they eat. They talk about a few different things—simple things like pop culture and what they like to do for fun—and they come to find that they have very similar tastes when it comes to movies. Both of their top five lists contain three of the same movies, and Aria smiles, because she can't help but be relieved that it's just one more thing they have in common.

More importantly, they finally exchange phone numbers, and share a laugh over the fact that it took them so long.

It's alarming to her how comfortable she feels around him. In the grand scheme of things, she's only known him for a few weeks. In her heart, though, she can't help but feel totally at ease when she looks across the table and sees him smiling at her. The level of trust is nice, but it's also scary. Trust isn't something Aria gives freely.

Still, looking at that face, that genuine smile, and those kind eyes, it's hard not to let herself do exactly that.

As they finish their meal, and Yakumo pays the check—Aria protests and insists that she at least pay half, but Yakumo won't be swayed because 'a gentleman always pays on the first date'—and they prepare to leave. Aria takes a last, curious glance toward the dance floor, but decides not to ask for now.

"You ready to—" He pauses, then follows her gaze. "What, do you want to dance?"

Aria laughs nervously. "Kinda, yeah," she admits with a shrug. "But we don't have to, if you—"

He smiles and tugs gently on Aria's arm, pulling her to the dance floor. "No, let's go," he encourages her gently. "I'm not the best dancer—I mean, I'm no stage Aria or anything—but I can keep a beat and have fun."

"No stage Aria, he says," she muses around a chuckle. "Alright, Dream Maker. Let's see what you've got."

The song changes to 'Shut Up And Dance,' and while Aria initially wonders what a modern song is doing playing in an 80's themed diner, it isn't long before that's the furthest thing from her mind. Yakumo doesn't dance too much himself. He moves to the rhythm, sure, but most of his energy is focused on her. His strength allows him to spin her and effortlessly lift her off the ground.

The dance ends up being way more fun than Aria ever could've expected it to.

Every time he lifts her off the ground, adrenaline surges through her veins. Every time he spins her, she has all she can to not to yelp with excitement. She spins wildly, faster than she ever recalls spinning around before, and takes a second to collapse against his chest and catch her breath before he twirls her around again. This time she does let out a small "woo!" of excitement.

By the end of the song, she's pleasantly dizzy and also pleasantly tired, so she's glad when the next song to play is a slower one. She rests against his chest, her breathing slightly ragged as they move slowly to the rhythm of 'With or Without You.'

She turns her eyes up to him and smiles with her whole face.

"That was crazy!" She beams, laughing excitedly. "I don't think I've ever spun that fast before!"

Yakumo's smile is warm and gentle. "Maybe next time we go out, we should just go dancing, then." He pauses, chuckles awkwardly, and adds, "If there _is_ a next time, anyway."

Aria relaxes against Yakumo's chest again, and nods. "Oh, there will absolutely be a next time. I think I forgot what it felt like to have this much fun."

When Yakumo replies, he sounds relieved. "It'll be even better next time. You'll see."

They finish out the dance together, and keep going for two more songs, then decide that it's time to go home. They've been out for hours, and the diner is about to close in twenty minutes, and while Aria wishes she could stay out all night like this, she knows that they have to go home. They walk down the street hand in hand again, talking quietly and admiring the same brick house as they had on the walk here.

As they turn into the apartment complex, Aria turns to look at Yakumo. "Well, Dream Maker, I'd say our first date was a pretty rousing success, wouldn't you?" she asks.

"I'd go so far as to call that an understatement, Heartbreaker. Didn't even make a fool of myself. I'd call that an accomplishment."

Aria laughs and nods. "I know! The Frey panic curse didn't even take me _once_." She holds up one finger for emphasis. "That, my friend, is nothing short of a miracle."

They stop at Aria's door, and she turns toward him. She smiles, her confidence making her feel a little less shy when she steps up on the first step and leans forward to press a kiss to his cheek. Her hand finds its way to the other side of his face, and she almost goes in for a kiss on the lips, but decides against it at the last possible second. Instead, she just smiles and pushes a piece of hair that had fallen from his ponytail behind his ear.

"Text me when you get home, okay?" Her tone is soft and shy when she replies.

Yakumo smiles a dopey, blissful smile. "You got it, Heartbreaker."

"I'll see you tomorrow." She lets her hand fall from his cheek and backs up to the second step, hesitating to take her eyes from him.

With a nod, Yakumo breathes, "Yeah, tomorrow." He chuckles, but he doesn't make any movements either.

They're so wrapped up in each other that the sound of the front door opening escapes both of their notice. The light from the living room washes over the porch, and _that's_ inevitably what catches Aria's attention. She turns toward the door. Rin stands in the doorway, casting them a wry smirk as he looks them over.

"Hey there love birds, you’re five hours too early to be here but I have gifts."

Before they can reply, Rin shoves a cupcake into Aria’s hand and then one in Yakumo’s. Aria looks down at her cupcake and her cheeks heat up so much that she's afraid they'll burn off. The cupcake's topper is a penis—one that's larger than the cupcake itself—while Yakumo’s decorative piece is relatively normal in comparison.

"It took me since the moment you left and a couple of mojitos to get it right but I think they came out great." Rin winks impishly.

"Rin! Wh—what… why—"

Once Yakumo notices the decoration, he tries not to laugh. "Uh… thanks man." He fails to suppress his laughter, or the red creeping its way across his face. "It'll be a good chaser to the diner food."

Rin beams. "It has _cream_ inside."

Aria's voice is a little louder than she probably should be. "Okay, that's great, time to go inside now!" She uselessly hides her cupcake from Yakumo's view and pushes Rin toward the door. "I'll… I'll see you tomorrow, Yakumo, okay?"

"Yeah, see you, Heartbreaker!" Yakumo muses around his laughter.

Poking his head from behind Aria, Rin loudly asks, "What’s your size, Yakumo? So I can make a more accurate topper for the cupcake next time!"

Before Yakumo can answer, Aria shuts the door. "_Oh my god, Rin, please_!"

Rin snickers like the gremlin he is. "It’s a valid question, Sugar Queen," he muses.

"I know it is and I'm curious myself but…" She runs a hand down her face, then walks the rest of the way into the house, plopping down on the couch and untying the ribbons around the ankles of her shoes. "We didn't do anything. You little gremlin."

With an innocent smile, Rin shrugs. "Didn’t say you did." He gestures to the tray on the coffee table where a few more cupcakes with various sized dicks sit. "I made extras. Have some, they’re really good!"

Aria blinks in surprise. "Lemme guess, you were trying to approximate the size of Louis' dick and you got out of control?" She laughs, picking the least 'packed' cupcake of the bunch. "I'll name this one Rocky." She smirks as she peels the wax paper from the bottom.

Rin chokes on the cupcake he's eating. He coughs into his elbow and immediately reaches for the cup on the table. "W-warn me next time, will you?"

Making an impish face of her own, Aria shrugs nonchalantly. "Oh, you mean the way you warned me when you came out of the apartment with a dick cupcake?" She smirks at him, before taking a bite of the one in her hand. "Hey, pretty good!"

The tone in Rin's voice is a shadow of its cocky self from earlier, and he avoids her gaze. "Told you so. I need a napkin, I think I inhaled buttercream." He heads for the kitchen.

"That was a pretty… animated reaction to his name, Sunshine. I'm surprised you even _remember_ him." She pulls a soda from the fridge.

Rin wipes his mouth, though there isn’t anything on it. "Y-yeah, I w-wasn’t expecting to hear it. Anyway, how was your date?"

A smile slowly spreads across her face. The smile is warm and happy, and she meets Rin's gaze with soft eyes. "Amazing. Like… really, really good. I can't even describe." She takes another bite of cupcake and plops back down on the couch. "He's so _sweet_, Rin. Like, he's so charmingly awkward and shy, and nice and sweet and he held my hand and put his arm around me, and we danced and it was just… good. Great."

With a warm smile, Rin meets her eyes. "I told you it was going to be amazing. I’m really happy for you, Ari."

Aria stands up and stealthily grabs a cupcake on her way up to Rin, where she wraps one arm around him in a happy, warm hug. "You did. And you were right. I know how much you like to hear that."

"Aw, thanks."

The warm smile turns impish again. "However. That little stunt you pulled? Opening the door with that cupcake?" She puts her hand on her hip and juts it out at him. "Got one thing to say to you about that, Sunshine. Wanna know what it is?"

Rin looks annoyed, but there's a slight hint of playfulness in his eyes. "Even if I say no, you’re gonna tell me anyway."

Aria laughs. "You got me there, son. The thing I have to say to you. The really important thing that can't wait another moment… is… " She takes her arm out from behind her back, revealing the second biggest dick cupcake in the bunch. 

"Eat a dick!" She smooshes the cupcake in his face.

He yelps. "Aria!"

Beaming eagerly at him, Aria shakes cupcake crumbs from her fingertips. "You deserve it!" she announces as she rushes for the stairs. "Goodnight!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys, this chapter was way too wholesome for my good. Help.


	20. The Lourin Date Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Louis and Rin go on a date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lourin goes on a date and I hope its cute LOL

Rin stares desolately at the mess that is his bedroom. He stands in the middle of the clothing whirlwind, wearing nothing but his baggy pajama pants and his black binder. All of his clothes are scattered throughout the room but nothing—absolutely  _ nothing _ —catches his eye. A few of his older binders, in various shades of neutral to white and black, hang off his bed. He can’t decide which shade has a better chance of not standing out beneath his clothes, especially without an idea of what he wants to wear for his surprise date with Louis. Rather than anything productive, all he can do is stand and stare at the mess. He runs frantic hands through his hair, rustling it about until it’s a wild mess.

Suddenly, he screams, frustrated with his own inability to think, and feeling overwhelmed in more ways than he can explain. His voice cracks near the end of his scream, and already Rin can feel the raw ache in his throat. He’s almost certain the glass on the window rattled with the octave he reached.

Aria's frantic footfalls can be heard from the ground floor. He hears her stumble on her way up, and a loud curse escapes her lips as she fumbles her way into the hall. She bursts into Rin’s bedroom, panting for breath. She shakes her hand as though trying to fling away the pain. 

“What!? What happened, are you okay?!” She asks, looking around the room as though searching for something. “Jesus  _ fuck _ , Rin, did a tornado run through here?”

Rin flings himself into Aria’s arms and wails: “I have nothing to  _ wear _ ! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

She recoils. “Aaaand now I'm deaf.” She quips. She puts her hands on his middle, pushes him back, and looks him in the eye. “Sunshine. Did you put those clothes I bought you into your drawers yet or are they still sitting in the clean laundry basket?”

“I don’t know!” He wails.

“ _ Please don't scream again _ .” She boops him on the nose and kisses his forehead. “Relax and come with me. I'm almost a thousand percent positive that the outfit for you is in the laundry basket downstairs.” 

She reaches for his hand and leads him down the stairs to the bathroom where the clean laundry is folded neatly, waiting to be put away. “As I suspected,” She chuckles. “Are you ready to look so hot you'll make Louis trip over himself when you walk down the sidewalk?”

Despite her words, Rin feels sick to his stomach. “Nope!” He squeaks, feeling the blood drain from his face.

“Sunshine, you're going to be fine.” She smooths her hand through his hair and smiles lovingly. “Do you trust me?”

“Yeah, but it’s a  _ date _ . My  _ first  _ date. What am I supposed to do?”

“Be yourself.” Aria states plainly.

Rin looks like he’s torn between wanting to scream or run away. Before he can decide on what to do, Aria places a hand over his mouth.

“Don’t,” she warns him softly, then takes his hands into hers. “Sunshine. He asked you out  _ because _ you're yourself. Because he  _ likes _ who you are. So… he wants you to be yourself. Your cute, funny, wonderful self. If you do that, you can't fail.”

“Okay.  _ Okay.  _ Okay,” Rin nods frantically, punctuating each word. “I can do that. I can  _ do  _ that.”

“And, I'm gonna make you look  _ super _ gorgeous, so  _ he's _ the one who trips over his words and probably his jaw because it's gonna be on the floor.” She smirks as she lets go of his hands and goes to the basket, filing through it for the right clothes. “This.” She throws a t-shirt at him. “And this.” A pair of jeans go flying. “And… this.” A jacket comes soaring toward Rin’s face. “With your chucks and whatever accessories you can think of. But  _ no beanies _ .”

The noise that Rin makes sounds remarkably like a balloon releasing air. He takes his clothes and heads back upstairs to get dressed, all the while still making high pitched keening sounds.

Rin opts for a cream-colored binder instead of his usual black. He dresses himself slowly, trying his best not to think of every possible way this date could go wrong—or right—and struggles to get his butt into the jeans Aria bought for him. He grumbles as he jumps up and down, wiggling inch by inch of the fabric over his apple bottom until  _ finally  _ it slides through. He accessorizes lightly; he's not a big fan of too much bling or jingles, but what he does put on compliments the flashiness of the jacket. He sprays the barest minimum of cologne and checks himself out in the mirror.

He looks good.  _ Hot _ even. But more importantly, he looks manly, like a real boy about to go on his first date. His appearance isn’t something Rin’s really thought about since he started taking T two years ago, but for whatever reason, it’s been a major concern of his of late. Checking himself out in the mirror now only assuages a fear he didn’t realize he still carried.

“ _ Nice _ ,” he grins as he strikes various poses. “Very nice.” With one final adjustment to his bracelets, he makes his way downstairs. “Ari, you can do my hair now!”

She meets him at the bottom of the stairs and beams at him the moment she gets a good look at his appearance. “Look at  _ you.  _ You look so handsome!” She places her hand on her chest, looking every bit the part of the proud mom. “Yeah, Louis is totally gonna be falling all over himself. Okay. Butt on floor. Be ready for the hair razzle-dazzle.”

With a laugh, Rin throws himself theatrically toward the couch. “Make me  _ beautiful _ , darling,” He drawls.

“You're always beautiful. This is just gonna  _ enhance _ your beauty.” She sits behind him on the couch and picks up a bottle of hair cream. Before Rin realizes it, she's fluffing the hair cream into his hair, gently moving the strands around into a loosely tousled fashion. They fall into tranquil silence. Rin takes the time to enjoy her company and the almost hypnotic movements of Aria’s hands as she plays around with his hair., Finally, he summons the courage to break the silence.

“Ari?” 

“What’s up, Sunshine?”

Rin licks his lips, throat suddenly dry. “What if… Louis gets handsy and he wants… to get sexual? It's only the first date but…” He worries his bottom lip between his teeth.

“Well, first of all, I don't think you have to worry about that. He's respectful and nice.” Her voice is calm as she moves a couple more pieces of hair around. “Second of all, if he does, and you don't want to? Just tell him. If he does, and you  _ do _ want to? That's okay, too. It's all about what  _ you _ feel and what  _ you _ want to do, and I'm sure he'll respect that. Your comfort is the most important thing.” He doesn’t see her smile, but he can hear it in her voice. After a few more hair placements, Aria pulls her hands from his head. “Voila! You're not the  _ only _ one with magic.”

With a laugh, Rin heads for the bathroom to check out Aria’s creation in the mirror. His hair isn’t long enough for dramatic transformations, not in the same way Aria’s hair is prone to do, but what she  _ has  _ created for him is just different enough for Louis to notice. It’s an organized mess, tousled hair carefully placed in certain areas to give him the right amount of spike and sexiness. It makes him flush, but it also makes him unbelievably happy. He returns to the living room, a bright smile on his face.

Aria blinks sharply upon staring him in eyes. “It's like looking at the sun.” She teases, smirking. 

“Thank you, Ari.” He rubs the back of his neck shyly. “For everything… and… I mean  _ everything _ .” He hopes the implications are clear as he pours all the appreciation, sincerity, love and adoration he can into his words. The smile he gives her is radiant and warm. It’s the least he can give her after everything she’s done for him; after everything she’s  _ sacrificed  _ for him.

Aria doesn't say anything at first, but he knows the implications aren't lost on her. He can tell, with the way she swallows and the glimmer in her eyes, that she’s trying hard not to cry. She swallows her tears, and before Rin knows it, she’s dashing across the short distance between them and wrapping him in a tight hug.

“I am always,  _ always _ here for you, Sunshine, okay? Don't you forget that. Ever.” Her voice is shaky, heavy with emotion, but Rin can hear the joy in her tone in spite of it all. 

He returns the warm embrace, fighting back his own tears.

The serene silence of their apartment shatters the moment the doorbell rings. The twins release each other, Aria fixing up his jacket again.

“Okay, okay,  _ okay _ —he’s here.” He takes a deep calming breath and releases it slowly.

“If I go get it, can I trust that you won't run and hide in your room?” She purses her lips teasingly.

Rin nods frantically. “Yeah, yeah, yeah totally. I’ll be here. Standing. Yep. Yeah.”

“Good because if you run and hide, I'll send Louis after you this time.” She warns him jokingly. When she opens the front door, she gives Louis a bright smile. “Hey, Louis! Come on in!” She steps out of the way and beckons for him to enter the apartment.

“Afternoon, Aria,” Louis greets pleasantly as he enters the apartment. “Is Rin ready—?” 

Louis’ words fall short as his visible eye catches sight of Rin. Instead of where Aria left him, Rin is leaning into the couch, one leg perched onto the cushion with his chin resting into his palm. He settles Louis with what he hopes is a sultry look, but it looks more like a squint than anything else.

“Hey there hot stuff. Come here often?” He jokes, hoping his voice is steady enough to hide the nerves he feels.

Louis’ smiles wryly. “In the passing weeks, I seem to be.”

Aria attempts to stifle a giggle into her palm, but Rin still hears the soft sound leave her lips. “Wow. That was… smooth? Okay, don't let me distract you from one another. I'll be heading up to my room now. Have fun, you two!”

Rin tries to keep his faux confidence from cracking. “What? No! You can stay here! W-we’ll be on our way soon enough.” He laughs nervously.

“Nah, can't have a sister cramping your style when you're being so smooth and charming, Sunshine!” She smiles lovingly at him. “Just remember what I told you, okay? I'll see you two tonight at the bar!” 

Without another word, she disappears to her room, with a bowl of popcorn and her fashion design sketchbook.

Rin squeaks, watching her go. Louis’ smile never falters, but the light in his eyes is warm, fond even. He holds out a hand toward Rin.

“Shall we go?”

Rin is as excited as he is hesitant. He’s never been on a date before—never thought he of all people would ever land someone interested enough in him to even experience one—but here he is, ready to embark on a whole new adventure. Louis is as patient as ever. When Rin finally approaches Louis and takes his hand, the warm, gentle touch relaxes him just as much as it always has. They leave the apartment in comfortable silence, hands still locked together, and while Rin’s cheeks feel like they’re on fire, he doesn’t bother letting go.

They walk into the direction of the museum in comfortable silence. For once, Rin doesn’t feel like he needs to fill the air with jokes or rambling. Louis is just… content with him being there, just as Aria is so often content with sitting with him in silence. It’s… unlike anything he’s ever expected.

“So… a museum huh? Yakumo took Aria to a diner, you know.” He grins cheekily.

“Oh? I didn’t realize it was a competition,” Louis smirks, an impish glint in his eye.

Rin shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly. “We’re twins. Everything is a competition.”

“I’m positive Aria would disagree with you.” Louis chuckles.

Rin can feel Louis’ thumb rubbing the back of his hand in gentle, loving circles. He blushes and ducks his head bashfully. “Y-you’re right,” He mumbles. “But why a museum?”

“Your gift to me made me realize the perfect place to take you,” Louis responds, his own cheeks darkening. “I figured you’d appreciate the exhibits since you’re such a wonderful artist yourself. And if that meant I got to see your bright smile again, it would be worth it.” Louis’ smile is both bright and loving. “Thank you, by the way, for the sculpture. It’s… I can’t find the words to explain it, but it’s breathtaking.”

Rin huffs out a breathy laugh, his heart hammering wildly in his chest. All this praise about his artwork over the past few days, and his gift to Louis, has done nothing but bolster his confidence and embarrass him further. He grips onto Louis’ hand tightly and nudges him gently on the shoulder. “You’re  _ way  _ too good at that. Flirting, I mean.” He clarifies. “First my phone and now this? Tell me your secrets!”

“What can I say? I learned from the best.”

“Yeah? And who would that be? Because, no offense Louis, but you’re a straight-up nerd. I mean, I heard from a little birdie that you were already two months ahead of your schoolwork. When would you find the time to brush up on your flirting techniques?”

Louis laughs openly and to Rin, it’s the best sound he’s heard all day. “That’s the great thing about reading literature. You learn from the masters.” As if to prove his point, Louis brings their joined hands together and kisses the back of Rin’s hand.

It doesn’t surprise Rin that Louis is a major bookworm or that he’s been taking notes from fictional men in literature. Still, Rin can’t help but find the whole idea charming. It feels like such a Louis-y thing to do, he can't help but laugh.

The rest of their walk to the museum is filled with small talk. It's the first time outside of their dinner settings that Rin truly gets to know about Louis. All the bits and pieces he’s managed to put together through the past few weeks are nothing compared to the stories Louis tells him now. Louis tells him about Karen, how he first learned about Aurora and where those two were heading in their lives. He tells Rin about the first time Louis met Yakumo, and how he used to help Yakumo train for hockey almost every day before the selection season opened.

Rin hears about Murasame, his usually noisy neighbor who often calls him up late at night to get updates about the “Cute boy in 7B.” Rin tries not to flush but he knows it's a losing battle when Louis flashes him an amused smirk.

“She sounds like a riot.”

“You’d like her. She’s very much invested in not only your love life but Aria’s as well.” He states plainly.

Rin chokes on a cough. “Is she  _ spying  _ on us?”

“It’s more like you’re both more interesting than daytime television.”

“Oh, that’s  _ great _ to hear,” Rin muses dryly. 

“We’re here.” With their hands still clasped, Louis gestures to the entrance. “Shall we?”

Rin’s whole face lights up jovially. “Hell yeah! Let's go!”

A part of Rin feels like a dork for being so excited. He’s never actually been to a museum before, even during school trips as a kid, none of their foster parents really bothered to give the twin’s permission to attend. Rin’s only exposure comes from movies and pictures. Whatever the internet has to hold, he’s seen it, so entering a museum in person is an entirely different experience.

For starters, the lobby is massive, and already the first exhibit is on display for Rin to behold. It’s a giant skeleton figure of a dinosaur, though which one it is, he’s not sure. Pictures line the walls of the museum entrance, none of which Rin recognizes, but they’re fascinating and captivating nevertheless. Louis pulls him gently again, soaking in Rin’s expression as he marvels at everything around them. 

The museum is surprisingly sparse of visitors, Rin isn’t sure if he’s grateful for this knowledge or not, but it makes him feel more at ease as they tour the museum. It’s surprising how very little people turn their way. Rin’s hand is secured tightly in Louis’, it's out in the open and yet, not a single eye turns. Rin’s rapidly beating heart settles further. He lets a comfortable warmth rush through him.

“There’s a new installation in the museum that I want you to see.” Louis starts when Rin’s excitement falls into a lull of tranquility. “It’s the major reason why I wanted you to come with me.” He pauses, cheeks tingeing pink. “Outside of wanting to take you out, of course.” He chuckles weakly.

“What is it?”

“I’ll show you.”

Louis leads him through the art exhibits fairly quickly. Rin spots a few familiar paintings here and there, but the urgency with which Louis walks has Rin growing excited. They pass by the Egptytian exhibit and a hall dedicated to undersea life. Rin doesn’t mind skipping the exhibits for now. He knows they’ll circle back around to take in the museum in all of its glory when they can. They come across a corner at the end of the hall, but Louis stops in front of Rin and turns to face him.

“Don’t be alarmed, but I need you to close your eyes.” He urges gently.

Rin’s hackles are already rising before he can stop himself. “Okay, but if you’re going to spook me, I'd rather know now.” He pouts.

Louis’ soft breath of laughter eases Rin’s anxiety somewhat. “What did I say about being alarmed?” He teases, and steps behind Rin, resting his hands over Rin’s eyes.

“You can’t just  _ expect  _ me to stay calm when you say ‘don’t be alarmed’.” With his vision securely blocked, Rin can feel Louis guiding him forward. “You’re not going to take me somewhere scary are you?” 

“Do you trust me, Rin?” Louis’ voice is close to his ear, his warm breath puffing against the shell of his lobe. Rin tries not to shiver, but the closeness of Louis’ lips brushing ever so delicately against the skin of his ear makes it impossible to resist. 

“Y-yes,” He manages to stammer, his face and neck growing hot.

“Then  _ trust  _ me.”

Rin is putty in Louis’ hands. Louis guides him forward, until the air in the room shifts and the lighting that seeps through the gaps of Louis’ fingers darken. It doesn’t take them long, but to Rin, it feels like  _ ages _ , when Louis finally has him stop.

“I’m going to remove my hands, but I want you to keep your eyes closed, okay?” He instructs.

“O-okay.” Rin gulps nervously. “A-at least you’re not asking me to get on my knees.” He chuckles breathlessly.

Louis doesn’t immediately respond, and Rin wonders if the joke is in poor taste. For a moment, Rin can hear him struggle to formulate a proper response, but when the silence stretches for far too long, Louis finally clears his throat.

“M-maybe next time,” Louis replies. Rin’s whole body bursts into flames. “Keep your eyes closed.” 

He pulls away and as promised, and Rin keeps his eyes shut. Wherever he is, it's dark—uncomfortably so—and it's cold, colder than any other room in the museum. Music plays faintly in the background, but it’s so generic sounding that Rin isn’t sure what it's supposed to  _ be _ . He feels Louis’ warmth by his side again, and that comfortably warm, somewhat sweaty hand slips into Rin’s again.

Louis’ breath puffs gently against the shell of his ear and he murmurs, “You can open your eyes now.”

Rin’s eyes snap open. Standing in front of him—all around them—is the universe. The exhibit is dark, lit up here and there with the vibrant stars of a thousand star systems. Dots of all colors litter the inky blackness of the room and Rin stares,  _ starstruck _ , at the beauty of the universe. He turns to Louis, eyes wide, mouth agape.

“Aria told me once that she calls you her Sunshine. I thought it was sweet, but after spending time with you, I understand what she meant.” Louis’ soft smile is just as beautiful as the stars glimmering all around them.

Rin’s face is beet red and burning hot; he can’t take his eyes away from Louis, but he doesn’t want to, either. He wants to commit this whole moment to memory, so he soaks up what he can. 

“You’re about to say something both really cheesy and really hot, aren’t you?” Rin teases.

“Maybe,” Louis smirks coyly. “Or, maybe I just wanted to do this—”

Before Louis can finish his sentence, Rin closes the gap between them, their lips colliding into a soft, chaste kiss. Louis barely has the chance to breathe when Rin jerks away, hands over his mouth like he’s done something terrible.

“Holy shit did I just kiss you?!” He squeaks, mortified. 

Louis’ hands are on Rin’s cheeks before the distance between them can grow any larger. “I don’t know, maybe you should do it again?” Louis suggests.

Louis leans down into Rin, pulling him flush against his body. Rin wonders, distantly, if this is Louis’ attempt to keep him from running away as he desperately wants to do, but a part of him fights just as hard to stay anchored to Louis. He wraps his arms around Louis’ broad shoulders and melts deeper into the kiss, savoring the velvety touch of Louis’ lips. The kiss lasts longer than the first and Louis is about as gentle and tender as Rin expected him to be. Still, when Louis pulls away, Rin can’t help but chase after his lips, wobbling on his legs despite neither of them moving.

“H-holy crap,” Rin breathes.

“Y-yeah,” Louis laughs, just as flushed and breathless.

“I-I-I’m really hot in this jacket.”

“You are,” Louis teases, still holding Rin close. “We should… would you… would…” he laughs suddenly and rests his forehead against Rin’s. “Would you like to grab dinner?”

“I’m already weak, Louis. Are you coming for my life today?”

“If you’d let me.”

Rin’s legs give out then and there.

* * *

Ichor is hustling and bustling by the time Louis and Rin arrive. It’s still too early for Aria’s first set to start, but Rin eagerly awaits for his sister to rock their socks off. He couldn’t think of a more perfect way to end a fantastic first date than to watch his sister be bright, confident and beautiful on stage. Rin excitedly pulls Louis to one of the tables near the far left. It’s not as close to the bar as Rin would like, and not quite the best place to watch Aria in all of her glory, but it's one of the few tables unoccupied that’s the furthest from the entrance. Rin beams at Yakumo when he catches his eye.

“I know you’re not a fan of drinks but—”

“It’s fine. I’ll have a gin and tonic.” Louis smiles.

Rin blinks, caught off guard. “R-really?” He asks.

Louis nods. “It’s a special occasion.” He smirks.

Heat crawls up the nape of Rin’s neck again. “O-okay! I’ll be back.” 

Rin tries his best not to run, but his fast-paced walking is enough to have him kick an empty chair by accident and nearly lose his footing. He apologies to no one in particular and glances over his shoulder to make sure Louis isn’t watching. He is, and the amused glint in his eyes makes Rin flush harder.

He makes it to the bar without any incidents and flags Yakumo down when he gets the chance.

Yakumo returns his wave with one of his own. He comes marching down the bar with a loud and excited, “Dude! I didn’t know you guys would be coming  _ here  _ tonight!”

“Y-yeah, it was… unexpected.” Rin grins lopsidedly. 

“Wow, okay judging by that smile you're having a great time, so I won't keep you too long.” He laughs. “What can I get you?”

“G-gin and tonic. Two, please.”

Yakumo smirks. “Okay, you got it.”

Aria appears onstage to raucous applause, which seems to surprise her more than anything else. She strides up to the mic confidently, with her curls on display to the world, and takes the mic, making a short introduction before announcing the first song.   
  
“This song is a special dedication to two very special people in the audience today. You know who you are.”

She starts singing 'Songbird' by Fleetwood Mac. Rin feels like his skin will be permanently red by the end of the night with how hard and frequent he’s been blushing.

Yakumo is still grinning when he returns with their drinks. “Here you go, two gin and tonics. Now get back to your boy before the song’s over.”

Rin can’t formulate a proper witty response with how embarrassed he feels. He gives Yakumo a gracious, but hasty “thank you” and takes the drinks back to his table. His slides Louis’ glass toward him, who smiles warmly upon his return.

“I feel like everyone just  _ knows  _ today and it's making me super embarrassed,” Rin confesses shyly.

“Knowing who everyone is—” Louis casts a quick glance across the room where Jack and Eva give them a casual wave. “—pretty sure they  _ do  _ know.”

Rin hides behind his hands, skin burning hot. “Are we so obvious?” He whines pathetically.

Louis reaches across the gap between them and gently pries Rin’s hands away from his flushed face. “Pretty much.” He laughs. “Thank you for coming out with me and for giving me a chance.”

“You don’t need to thank me.”

“But I do. You placed your trust in me.” Louis brushes his thumb along Rin’s cheek. “That takes a lot of guts, Rin. You’re the bravest person I know. I wasn’t nearly half as brave as you are back then. It took me a long time to accept myself. There were a lot of times I thought I couldn’t.”

Rin leans into his touch, captivated by the warmth in his eyes and the softness in his words.

“Even though I had Karen and Aurora; even though I had great friends and a great support system, I couldn’t… accept myself as easily as Karen did. Karen made it seem so easy.” He chuckles. “It definitely was not.”

“It never is,” Rin adds.

Louis hums in agreement and drapes an arm around Rin’s shoulders. Rin leans into him, enjoying his warmth, the gin in his belly and his sister’s voice carrying throughout the bar as she sings fills him with a sense of peace. For a moment, Rin allows himself to forget the world outside. If this is what it means to be happy then he damn well hopes he never loses it again.

Reality crashes harshly into Rin at that moment. Someone bumps into them, rattling the table and knocking their drinks over. The alcohol spills everywhere, splattering both Louis and Rin and tumbling to the floor, sending pieces of broken glass every which way. Rin turns around, half expecting to hear a drunken apology, but all he sees is the retreating back of a tall, broad male in a black hoodie. 

A spike of anxiety washes through Rin as realization dawns on him. It can't be who he thinks it is, not in a place like this—not today of all days—but it is, and Rin’s stomach sours as he watches the offender make his way toward the exit. Flashes of unwanted memories play through Rin’s mind before he can stop himself.

“Are you okay?” Louis asks.

Rin snaps back to reality, using Louis’ voice as an anchor to root himself into the here and now. “Y-yeah. S-sorry, I sp-spaced out. I-I-I—”

Panic is quickly building up in Rin’s chest. He’s on the brink of hyperventilation, when Louis invades his vision, blocking the retreating back of who Rin thinks is Rocky. Louis’ tilts Rin upward slightly, and it's then Rin can see the concern in Louis’ visible eye. He cradles Rin’s face gingerly, warmly, and holds him close.

“ _ Hey _ , hey, calm down. Breathe.” Louis urges gently, brows furrowing. “Something’s wrong.”

“I-i’m fine.” Rin manages to croak.

Louis takes another look into Rin’s eyes, before kissing him again. “I know you’re not fine, but… I trust you’ll tell me when you’re ready.”

Rin buries his nose into Louis’ chest and inhales deeply. It startles Rin how easily Louis’ scent calms his nerves.

“Do you want to head back to your place?”

“No, I… want to stay and support Ari.”

Louis presses another gentle kiss onto Rin’s forehead and murmurs, “Okay. We can do that, but if you want to leave early, tell me any time, alright?”

Rin nods in agreement. 

From a distance, Rin sees Yakumo signal Jack, who approaches the bar with an unreadable face. After a short dialogue, Jack takes the bar over and Yakumo disappears into the crowd.


	21. Yakumo & Aria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"That little hip bump against the table was no accident."_
> 
> _Rocky meets Yakumo's gaze squarely. "Yeah? And I say it was," he answers nonchalantly._
> 
> _Doubt crosses Yakumo's face, and he narrows his eyes. "Right. So, I guess I have to go look at the security footage, then? Talk to the owner? Get you banned from this place?" he asks._
> 
> _Stuffing his hands into pockets, Rocky shrugs. "Yeah? And then what? You forget, this place ain’t the only place I see ‘em."_

Jack is undoubtedly and understandably annoyed when Yakumo calls him aside and asks him to handle the bar for "five minutes." Luckily, for the most part, the bar has been pretty quiet, so Yakumo doubts he'll have to do too much. He just needs to be sure he doesn't lose his job.

A _part_ of that job is being an unspoken bouncer, since Ichor doesn't have a proper bouncer. Gustav keeps saying he'll rectify the situation and hire one, but month after month has gone by without any actual solution coming into play, so Yakumo has fallen into the role and it works just fine for him most of the time.

Yakumo decides to use it to his advantage, to intervene in this evidently-escalating situation between Rin and this Rocky asshole. Yakumo saw the whole incident unfold tonight. He watched as Rocky passed by Rin and Louis' table, and how _purposely_ he jutted his hip out to smack into the table, _deliberately_ sending the drinks flying. It seems like an accident in a bar as crowded as Ichor is, but for someone who saw the whole situation go down, Yakumo knows better.

The bar back is already over there cleaning up the broken glass, and Jack immediately busies himself with mixing new drinks for Rin and Louis. That's good, he decides. They can reclaim their night, and Louis will definitely be able to ease Rin's mind again.

With the situation settling, Yakumo weaves his way through the crowd in the direction he saw Rocky disappear. Yakumo desperately hopes he's not close enough to the front of the crowd to get Aria's attention from the stage, but if he is, that's all the more reason Yakumo needs to get rid of him.

Fortunately, it's in the middle of the crowd where Yakumo runs into a head of hair even brighter red than his own. He taps Rocky on the shoulder.

As soon as Rocky turns toward him, Yakumo raises his chin in lieu of a greeting. "We need to talk. Outside," he rumbles, pointing to the side door.

Rocky grunts his wordless acknowledgment and heads for the exit.

While he follows Rocky, Yakumo casts his eyes out around the area, to make sure none of his friends see this conversation happening. Jack is the only one who notices, and he simply gives a simple nod of approval. Leave it to Jack to know exactly what Yakumo is planning. It's almost enough to make him laugh as he weaves his way back through the crowd and heads outside.

Of course, he realizes that it probably looks like he's looking for a fight. He's not. That's not the plan, at least. He just needs to make sure that Rocky knows there will be one if he doesn't leave both twins alone. That's why, when he gets outside and the door closes behind him, rather than balling his fist like he so desperately wants to, he immediately turns to Rocky and says:

"That little hip bump against the table was no accident."

Rocky meets Yakumo's gaze squarely. "Yeah? And I say it was," he answers nonchalantly.

Doubt crosses Yakumo's face, and he narrows his eyes. "Right. So, I guess I have to go look at the security footage, then? Talk to the owner? Get you banned from this place?" he asks.

Stuffing his hands into pockets, Rocky shrugs. "Yeah? And then what? You forget, this place ain’t the only place I see ‘em."

Yakumo's voice a low rumble. "For your own sake, you'd best hope it is," he says simply.

Rocky's dark eyes search Yakumo's, almost as though he's looking for a sign of weakness. "You seem awfully invested for a bartender." He chuckles darkly, before a flash of realization darts across his face. "I get it."

"I highly doubt you get _anything_, but go on," Yakumo answers, unable to deny a certain level of curiosity.

Lips quirking into a smirk, Rocky points over his shoulder into the bar. "Which one of them are you fucking?" he asks plainly. "Oh no, wait, let me guess. You’re hoping to get some twin on twin action, is that right? Aria’s an easy lay and that sister of hers has a thick ass—"

Before another word can pass through Rocky's lips, Yakumo reaches out and grabs the collar of Rocky's shirt in one hand, yanking him off the ground. His voice deepens, anger turning it into almost a growl as he narrows his eyes at Rocky.

"The only reason I'm not punching you until your teeth cave in right now is that I don't want to go to jail over an asshole like you. I'm warning you. Leave Aria and her _brother_ alone. I don't know what your past with them is, but I do know that if I ever hear about you hurting either of them in any way ever again, there will be nothing that can stop me. Do I make myself clear?"

Rocky grits his teeth. "Crystal."

Yakumo drops Rocky to the ground. "Get the hell out of here."

Once Rocky brushes off the dirt from his pants and fixes the scruff of his jacket, then giving Yakumo one last threatening stare, he leaves. He doesn't look back, doesn't even really seem fazed by the situation. Yakumo has a sneaking suspicion that this isn't the last he'll hear of the situation, and it's almost enough to make him regret not punching Rocky square in the jaw.

Ultimately, he knows it was the right decision, but he still sort of wishes he had. He waits for a few seconds, for his blood to stop boiling, before he takes a deep breath, turns back toward the door, and goes back to work with a feeble attempt at his usual, easy smile back on his face.

~

Somehow, Aria is in an amazing mood as she glides across the kitchen, singing along with her Spotify playlist once again. She spins happily as she cooks breakfast, a spinach and feta omelet on the stove frying for her brother. She catches a glimpse of the aster blossoms Yakumo gave her on Thursday, sitting next to the other beautiful, purple bouquet Louis had brought them the week before. 

Aria is always careful to make sure they're watered and fed, to make sure they last as long as possible and serve as a fond memory of the boys who gave the gifts. The wonderful, kind, amazing boys.

She hums along with the music, before putting the omelet on a plate and a small breakfast in bed tray, accompanying it with orange juice and the three strips of bacon she'd fried before.

With a smile still wide on her face, she steps up the stairs to the beat of the classic folk song that echoes from the speakers.

"_Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy…_" She pauses and knocks on Rin's door. "_Sunshine in my eyes can me cry… sunshine on the water looks so lovely… sunshine almost always makes me high…_" She stops singing and knocks on Rin's door again, louder this time. "Sunshiiiine, time to rise and shine like your namesake! I have breakfast in bed for you!"

A few more seconds pass before Rin opens the door. His hood is up, and his clothes are baggy and large. He looks extremely cozy. Aria knows the state of his clothes as his dysphoria attire, and a flash of worry pulls her good mood down. 

In spite of that, Rin manages a smirk. "Someone’s in a good mood."

Aria tries to maintain normalcy, knowing that she's occasionally capable of raising his mood if she can manage to keep her own spirits up. "My amazing brother had a wonderful date last night, I assume, the sun is shining almost as brightly as that smile of yours, why would I _not_ be in a good mood?" She holds the tray up. "I come bearing a spinach and feta omelet and some bacon! You know you wanna let me in!"

Rin laughs and does exactly that. He sits back on his bed with an affectionate smile. "You spoil me too much, Ari."

With a conspiratory smile, Aria sets the tray down on Rin's bed and lets him take it. She sits in his computer chair and spins around slightly . "Sounds to me like you're asking me to stop. Is that what you're doing?" she asks playfully.

"I didn’t say anything!" He denies as he reaches for the plate.

Aria smiles. "I didn't think so. So. Are you going to enlighten your dear sister who loves you and spoils you so much about the wonderful date you had last night? Hmmm?" she leads.

Rin's smile falters slightly. "O-oh," he murmurs, his cheeks flushing. "I knew this was a bribery!"

"Bribery is such a _harsh_ term. I prefer… incentive." She nods sagely. "I'm not saying I'm dying for details but I _need_ them."

The adamant refusal on Rin's face is almost entertaining. "Nu uh, you first. You had your date before mine, so _you_ start." He grins teasingly.

Aria shakes her head, too. "That's not fair! I made you a nice breakfast and everything!" She scoffs, as heat rises to her cheeks.

"But you’re the older sister," he points out, batting his eyelashes innocently. "And since I’m the younger sisssss—"

Before Rin can even finish the word, Aria looks at him with her eyes wide. It's been so long since Rin has slipped and called himself her sister, and that only serves to confirm to her that he's feeling dysphoric. Aria's good mood is completely forgotten now, and she's instantly concerned for her brother.

"—_sibling_ you should do what I say," he dramatically bats his eyelashes, like he's trying to dismiss what he just said.

Aria frowns. "You're my brother," she points out, her mind reeling and trying to come up with something that might have triggered him. She knows it can't have been _Louis_, so she wracks her brain for who or what it could have been. Ultimately, she comes up empty. "Alright. If, and _only_ if, you promise not to ever call yourself my sister again, I will go first. Do we have a deal, brother of mine?"

Rin nods immediately. "Y-yeah, sorry. It just slipped. I was thinking about it before, but I will _absolutely_ not do it again," he promises.

Concern still ever-present on her face, Aria searches Rin's eyes. "Everything's okay, right?" she asks.

He plays around with a piece of his omelet. "No. Not really. I’m nearly at the end of my T-dosage again. You know how that is." He meets her eye. "Sorry, I didn’t want to ruin your good mood. I just kinda… remembered last night before bed."

"Oh." She frowns, but just as quickly, realization dawns on her. "Well. Hang on a sec. I've got something that'll make you feel better, okay?"

The smile comes back, even if it isn't as bright as before, and she stands without another word. She crosses the hall into her room and gets into a small drawer next to her bed, pulling out a small divider. There are three different categories. One of them is labeled 'new guitar,' which, admittedly, is the emptiest of the three. The second is labeled 'Rin's top surgery,' which she's been filling here and there since her junior year of high school. So far, she's about two-thirds of the way there.

The last one is the one that sees the most fluctuation.

Each week, she puts a little money into the section labeled 'Rin's next T dose.' Every three months, it gets emptied, only to be refilled again. With a smile, Aria pulls the money out and is pleased to note that she has more than enough this time. The remainder stays in that section of the folder, padding the fund for next time. With the money in hand, she crosses the hall again and places the bound pile of haze next to Rin on the bed.

"Make your appointment, okay?" she tells him with a smile. "As soon as you can."

Rin's eyes practically pop from his skull. "_Aria_! You saved enough?!"

Nodding eagerly, Aria manages a bright smile. "More than enough, actually. With the tips I made, next quarter's payment is already a third of the way made!"

Without another word, Rin shoots out of his bed, somehow avoiding the half-eaten tray of food, and envelops Aria in a tight hug. "You’re the best sister ever!" he exclaims, sniffling into her shoulder.

"Only because I've got the best _brother_ ever," she confirms as she hugs him back. "Soon, I'll have an even bigger surprise for you. If you think I'm the best sister now…"

Emotion still lines Rin's voice when he replies. "You already do too much for me, Ari." He sighs happily, and Aria feels a swell of satisfaction at how she managed to lift his spirits. When he's happy, everything feels like it's worthwhile. "I’ll tell you about my date first, if you want."

Aria grins. "Wow. Unexpected benefit of being a good sister, I guess," she chuckles and sits down on his bed, patting the spot next to her so he can continue eating while he talks.

Rin rejoins her on the bed and continues eating. "He took me to the museum to see the new space exhibit." The memory brightens his face, and Aria feels her smile coming back in turn. "I totally recommend going, by the way. We should all go! It’s really cool." 

Before Aria has the chance to reply, she notices that Rin's cheeks start flushing pink again. "And, uh, we-we… may or may not have…" Whatever words he finishes the sentence with are lost in his omelet.

"Okay, you know I'm gonna have a million questions about the exhibit later, but… what was that last bit again? I missed it with Omelet Mouth talking."

Rin swallows audibly. "I _said_ we may or may not have quite possibly, very likely, in some form conjoinedlips," he mumbles.

Aria shoots up from the bed and sits on her knees. Just like Rin, she miraculously manages not to jostle the food too much. "_Sunshine! He kissed you?!_" she squeals.

"W-well actually, I kissed him first. Under the projected stars. And then he kissed me. And we kinda just… kissed together…?"

Aria beams brightly. "Oh my god, _you kissed him_? Sunshine! I am so freaking proud of you, for one, and for two… is he a good kisser? Was it like… good? You know? How did you feel afterward?" she asks, speaking rapidly and not giving Rin much chance to reply.

"Aria, I don’t have a frame of reference," Rin deadpans. "_But_…" he averts his eyes shyly. "it felt really good. I… liked it a lot."

Despite her smile, her genuine happiness, Aria can't help but tease Rin. "You don't need a point of reference to know if someone's a good kisser. All you need are two lips with nerves attached and a heart that beats. Did your heartbeat speed up a little?" She grins.

Rin's eyes go ponderous, and when he replies, there's a layer of faux-innocence to it. "Well, it really made me horny if that counts?"

"Wow. Not the answer I expected, but I'm definitely taking that to mean that it was a good smooch." She laughs and places her hand on his shoulder. "I'm so glad you had a good time. Where'd you go after that?"

Rin shrugs. "We had dinner at a local restaurant and then we came to see you at the bar to finish off the night," he explains.

Aria sighs dreamily. "So romantic," she watches him, then meets his gaze. "Did you hear my song? For you two?"

"Y-yeah. I did," Rin confirms bashfully. "it was beautiful."

The genuine happiness Aria feels, knowing Rin had a good time, warms her from the inside out. "So… I know you guys didn't stay for the whole set. Did he walk you home? Did you get more lip action? I need to know the details, desperately," she urges.

Red still lights Rin's cheeks. "Y-yeah, he walked me home. He gave me a kiss goodnight." He blinks suddenly, like a memory sparks in his mind. "Speaking of, did you know our neighbor’s been spying on us?"

Aria quirks her head. "Wait. Three A.M. Party Neighbor or Dances In His Underwear to Daft Punk Neighbor? Or one of the others?"

"Three A.M. Party Neighbor. Her name is Murasame. Louis told me that she’s been watching them come over and asking Louis for details when she sees him leaving because, and I quote: 'we’re better than daytime television.'" He laughs. "So the next time Yakumo comes over, make sure you cover your smooches."

For a few seconds, Aria can only manage to stammer in reply. When she finally collects her brain, she gives Rin an unimpressed look. "The only smooches I've given are cheek smooches, thankyouverymuch," she laughs softly. "But I can't say she's wrong about us being better than soap operas. Better looking, too."

"That’s the damn truth."

With an awkward chuckle, Aria glances down at her pajama bottoms. "Guess it's my turn now, huh?"

With a smirk, Rin nods. "Yup! So spill."

Averting her gaze, Aria wets her lips and smiles slightly. "Well… after you did your whole 'I'm a Mogwai and have to make Aria blush every shade of red possible' thing, we left, obviously, and headed toward this little diner. It was really cute. 80's themed, neon everywhere. Super charming, with a little dance floor and waitresses in t-shirt dresses and side ponytails or crimped hair… you know. Major 80's aesthetic," she chuckles, reveling in the memory.

"Ah yes, the _Aria aesthetic_, except not goth."

Aria laughs softly. "Yeah, and you'll _never_ believe what the place was named," she smirks devilishly.

Rin leans in excitedly. "What was it?" he asks.

"You have to guess. I'll give you three guesses before I tell you." She smirks."

"Awww come on!"

With a laugh, Aria shrugs. "Alright. A hint, how's that? It's… really dirty."

As expected, Rin's responses are far beyond the realm of what Aria considers dirty. "Cumlatte? The Big Pickle? The Hog’s Asshole?" he rattles off.

Wide-eyed, Aria shakes her head at each response. "Note to self, if I ever open a restaurant don't let Rin name it. You were sorta close with the third one, though," she muses. "No, it was called The Milky Hog!"

Rin squints. "You know… if you did open a restaurant, I’d force you to name it The Hog’s Cumlatte," he answers flatly. "Why did they think The Milky Hog was a good name? That sounds so uncreative. If they wanted big horny energy, they should’ve called it The Hog’s Asshole."

Blinking in amazement, Aria shakes her head. "Yeah, that's not happening. And I really have no desire to think about a pig's asshole, Sunshine," she huffs.

With an evil, Cheshire smile, Rin continues, "So if it was Yakumo’s asshole, it’d be a different story?"

"_No_."

In a mocking voice, Rin asks, "Oh, I’m _sorry_, are you above assholes? Would you prefer Yakumo’s big dick energy instead?" A saccharine smile crosses his face, and he bats his eyelashes again.

"Rin! We still don't… we still don't know if he's big." She flushes deeply, trying not to think of exactly how many times her curiosity has gotten the better of her about that exact thing. Too many to count. Way too many to count.

"Do… do you want me to ask?" He reaches for his phone. "I have his number, I can call him—"

Aria smacks Rin's phone from his hand and watches as it tumbles to the mattress. "Absolutely not!" she answers, completely scandalized. "What are you gonna say," she pauses and lowers the tone of her voice to match Rin's, "'hey Yakumo, I was thinking about your dick and I wanted to know how big it was. We talkin' six inches or nine?'"

Giggling gently, Rin shakes his head. "No, silly! I was going to ask him straight up 'Hey are you five inches or twelve?'"

"_No_," Aria answers plainly.

Rin's still smiling, and despite the trollish nature of his teasing, she can't help but be happy that he's in a good mood again. "Okay, okay. Go on with your story," he urges her.

Heat radiates from Aria's cheeks, especially now that Rin has re-awoken her curiosity about how big Yakumo is. In spite of that, she clears her throat and continues. "Right." She tries to calm herself, but a ghost of the pink still remains on her cheeks. "S-so, we talked over dinner, and I finally actually got his number. And then… and then when we were getting ready to leave, he brought me to the dance floor and we danced."

As she thinks back on the dance, she lifts her hand and places it on her chest. "It was so… fun. He's not like… a _great_ dancer, but he spun me around so fast I thought I was gonna fall over and he _effortlessly_ picked me up off the ground. It was a major adrenaline rush," she admits with a coy smile.

Rin hums thoughtfully. "Wow, sounds like wall sex would be easy to do with him," he teases with a smirk. "Aren’t you lucky? But seriously though, that sounds amazing, Ari."

Aria tries to hide her embarrassment, but she fails. "_Oh my god, you are going to put me in the grave, Sunshine_." She feels her cheeks, her ears, her whole face heating up. After taking a second to try and will the redness away, she meets his gaze. "And then, as I'm sure you saw since you opened the door right after it happened, I kissed him on the cheek again. I almost kissed him on the lips, but I… I don't know why I didn't."

With a warm, soft smile, Rin nods. "I’m really happy you enjoyed yourself, Sugar Queen. A cheek kiss still means a lot."

"He's… there's something about him. I don't know what it is, but… he's different. You know?" She smiles warmly but turns her head down to look at Rin's bedsheets.

Rin bumps her playfully with his shoulder. "Sounds like you really like him."

"I…" She won't bother to deny it aloud, because she knows Rin will see right through her, but decides not to outright agree either. "I don't know. What if it's…" She pauses and laughs bitterly. "God, I'm gonna sound like you did back when you were denying your feelings for Louis, but what if he's like Rocky, you know? What if he's just… _playing_ nice to get what he wants?"

The way Rin's body goes rigid takes Aria by surprise, but he continues before she can ask. "Okay, first of all, no. Yakumo is nothing like Rocky. Secondly, Rocky didn’t play nice. Never did. Thirdly, you would’ve known. You don’t forget people like Rocky," he points out.

Aria frowns. "He did play nice, though. Whenever he wanted to get back with me, he'd put on this nice act, like he's changed and seen the error of his ways and he's ready to call you your proper pronouns and not be a shitheel. I would've… I would've never gone back if he hadn't, you know? I'm just…" 

She shakes her head. "I don't want to…" She stops, unable to come up with the right way to finish the sentence.

Rin shakes his head sympathetically. "He was never nice, Ari. You just wanted to think he was," he points out.

Sighing, Aria nods in agreement. "Exactly. So what if… what if Yakumo is doing the same thing? And I find out later that he's… the same? You know?" she asks.

"Then that’s one hell of an act. He would’ve had everyone fooled."

Aria frowns and turns to look away from Rin. "I know it's stupid, I just… want to be careful, you know? Until I'm _sure_."

In a soft, reassuring voice, Rin encourages her, "I get it, Ari, I do. But Yakumo isn’t Rocky in any form. You’re right when you say he’s different. Trust in him."

"Well… he was talking about a 'next time.' So…" Aria laughs, nervous. "At least he wants to go out with me again? Which means I can't have screwed up too much."

Rin smiles. "And you won’t. Trust me."

Aria's smile comes back, little by little. "What do you know? The Frey Twins finally find a pair of people crazy enough to put up with their bullshit." She breathes a puff of air through her nose. It was supposed to be a laugh, but thinking about Rocky rarely leaves her in a good enough mood to laugh.

"I know. They’re crazy," Rin agrees warmly, with a light chuckle.

Crazy they may be, but Aria thinks maybe—just _maybe_—they're the good kind of crazy. The kind of crazy that Rin and Aria have wanted in their lives for years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rocky continues to be a fuck. The twins continue to be amazing and adorable. Nada and I continue to be sadists.
> 
> Will things ever change? Probably not.


	22. Rin (IX)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin feels like the world is tilting on its axis, and he’s the only one losing his footing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for Rin's dysphoria flare-up & self-deprecatingly deadnaming himself

Rin feels like the world is tilting on its axis, and he’s the only one losing his footing. He feels like he’s on the verge of panic again; every step forward he makes is one crack too many on glass flooring. Whatever sense of peace Louis has managed to give him the past few days pales in comparison to the monster he feels lurking in the back of his mind. A pair of eyes watches him closely in his dreams, and no matter what Rin does, he can’t shake those familiar eyes away. He knows who they belong to and he knows it’s only a matter of eyes before the glass floor  _ breaks _ . He feels it beneath his skin again, the  _ wrongness _ . It’s growing; spreading its poison into his veins. It’s going to drive him mad,  _ again _ .

He’s going to shatter, it’s only a matter of time.

Rin knows he can’t, because this time, there’s more than one person who will step on his broken, jagged edges.

Rin forces himself to anchor to the present. It’s extremely early on Monday morning, and while Rin still technically has a few more hours before he needs to get up, he finds he’s unable to sleep. Not if he wants to prevent his mind from falling into the dark whirlpool of his thoughts. He feels particularly listless this morning and he knows, despite the growing  _ nothingness  _ that’s slowly encapsulating his thoughts, realization is sinking its way into his brain. He’s running low on hormones. More specifically, he’s running low on testosterone. 

With his T money still tucked safely in his wallet, Rin is aware he needs to get out of bed and call his doctor to make an appointment, but doing so requires movement and movement requires energy, of which… he has none. Alternatively, he could always get Aria to do it but that still requires him to  _ get up  _ and  _ ask _ and that  _ too  _ requires movement and energy. For now, he’s content with burying his head under his pillows and groaning into his mattress.

He  _ should _ be getting ready for class. He  _ should  _ be heading downstairs and joining Aria in the kitchen for breakfast or even eating what she’s prepared for him—assuming she left early for class—but Rin is just so comfortable in his bed. He’s content to lie there, rehashing his latest Louis related dream and trying—but failing because naturally, it’s  _ him _ —not to get aroused. Wet dreams are the bane of his existence.

“I wonder if Ari is still here…” He mutters quietly. “Maybe I can bribe her to bring up my food like last time. Breakfast in bed is starting to sound  _ really  _ good right now.” He reaches from underneath his cocoon of blankets, grabs his phone from the nightstand and starts texting Aria.

<sisaroo, i require ur assistance. i must attain sustenance.>

<thanks for the newsflash. also the sky is blue and bears shit in the woods. :P and every day of the week ends in 'day.'>   
<btw i made your t apptmnt. ♥ so if you want noms get your magical frey booty outta bed.>

< bless （*＾3＾）>

<and no i cant that requires too much energy to which i have none>

<pls i am recruiting ur assistance in delivering my sustenance.>

<one breakfast in bed and you're already getting spoiled.>   
<so there's like… no chance that you're comin down here?>

<no>

<pls spoil me dear sister>

<or i will waste away>

<to skin & bones>

<dead in my bed>

<i can already feel darkness falling upon me>

<goodbye dear sister>

<for hunger consumes me>

<and people call me the goth twin.>

<that was pretty 'hello darkness my old friend' sunshine.>   
<alright, i'm comin up. w/a surprise no less.>

<you better count yourself lucky to have a sister who loves you so much.>

<if u try 2 feed me broccoli at ass o’clock in the mornin im running awya to cocos>

<where she will feed you broccoli at 2 hours before ass o'clock in the mornin>   
<did you forget last summer when she had us on 'drill schedule' to prep us for college? i still think she was just trollin>   
<anyway, on my way.>

Rin sets his phone down on the nightstand and reburies himself into his warm covers, immensely pleased with himself. A few minutes later, he hears Aria's muffled whispering on the other side of the door telling someone to "shhhh be quiet," then a knock on the door. He narrows his eyes suspiciously. He rolls around just enough to stay wrapped in his blankets, but his eyes are focused on the door.

“Come in!” He calls, voice muffled by the blankets.

Aria pushes the door open but immediately steps out of the way.

“Go!” She whispers urgently.

As she speaks, Rin doesn’t waste any time. Summoning all the energy he has left in his body, he rolls his cocoon of blankets off the bed and under it, leaving a partial trail of blankets in his wake. He runs out of energy fast, and as he lays huffing for breath underneath his bed, he wonders  _ who  _ could possibly be up in such unholy hours of the day. He recognizes Louis’ shoes the moment he enters the room. From where he hides, he can just barely make out Louis carrying a tray of what he presumes is his breakfast, but his attention isn’t turned toward the bed.

“You’re not very good at this, are you?” Louis asks Aria.

“Nope! Never have been. You're lucky I didn't just tell the whole surprise to him via text.”

When Aria leans against the doorframe, it's in that moment both of them realize he’s not where he should be.

In a horrible rendition of a French accent, as though mimicking a documentarian, Aria speaks: “Ah yes, ze Rin caterpillar has wrapped itself in its hibernation cocoon, and soon it will emerge as a  _ beautiful _ butterfly.” Her voice changes to one of a 1950’s newscaster “How do you feel about this development, Louis?”

“Partially surprised, though I admit, I should not be.” He laughs.

The gremlin under the bed speaks: “ _ Aria Reese Bitchington Frey _ , how  _ dare  _ you.”

“‘Bitchington’?” Louis asks, amusement lacing his tone.

Aria signs heavily. “Only to him when he thinks I'm being mean.” She walks toward the bed, grabs the bottom of the blanket cocoon, and drags Rin out from his hiding place. Her bad French accent returns: “But what is zis? Ze Rin caterpillar's natural ally, ze Aria bird, appears to pull it from its cocoon early and remind it that it is a wonderful,  _ beautiful _ boy, even when it first wakes up in ze morning, and should not be worried about greeting its friends. C’mon, Sunshine.” Her accent drops at the end of her sentence and she gives Rin a pointed look. 

Rin tries to wiggle back under his bed, feeling both mortified and irritable. “Excuuuuuuuuuuuuse me,  _ Princess _ , did you forget that I am a heaping pound of unbound mounds and  _ drool _ ?!” His cheeks turn red 

“Louis, anything I say can and will be used against me in a court of Rin. Do you mind taking it from here?” She chuckles as she steps away.

Rin bursts from his blanket cocoon in a surprising second wind of energy. “ARIA REESE YOU WILL NOT LEAVE ME UNATTENDED WITH MY MUTUAL CRUSH IN MY OWN BEDROOM AT ASS O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING!” He screeches.

Already in the hallway of their apartment, Aria sings: “ _ Sorry _ , I can't  _ heeear you _ . I'm  _ so _ far away!” Her footsteps can be heard retreating down the stairs. “I'll be down here when you two are ready to go!”

Rin gapes at the doorway astounded by Aria’s _audacity_ until he remembers he’s left his blanket cocoon and he’s standing in the middle of his bedroom in nothing but a black baggy hoodie and baggy pajama bottoms. He immediately squeaks and wraps his blankets over his shoulders.

“You saw nothing!”

Louis sets the breakfast tray on the computer desk, a small smirk on his lips. “I saw everything—” Rin gasps in horror. “—and it changes nothing, Rin.”

At any other time of the week, Rin would take Louis’ words to heart, and some part of him does. He  _ knows  _ Louis doesn’t care. He  _ knows  _ the people who really matter to him absolutely  _ do not  _ care that he’s still “not quite whole”, because to them he’s  _ Rin  _ and he will  _ always  _ be Rin. But the faceless voices in his mind whisper poison in his ears. Today, he settles Louis with a look of suspicion. Today, he has trouble believing.

“You say that now, but just you wait, you’ll think about them, obsess over them and then 'accidentally' trip over my pronouns. Next thing I know, you’ll start calling me Lexxie and ask for blowjobs.” He’s being stupidly specific and doesn’t miss the look of concern that flashes across Louis’ face.

“Lexxie?” Louis asks instead.

Rin frowns in spite of himself. “A stupid nickname for a dead past.” He crosses his arms over his chest, still using the blanket as a shield. 

“I like Rin better. It suits you best.” Louis states plainly. Honestly.

Rin’s heart flutters wildly. “I had a feeling you’d say something like that. They really don’t bother you?”

“Nothing about you bothers me, Rin.” He smiles genuinely. There’s no hint of dishonesty or fakeness in his tone or his eyes, and honestly, Rin expects no less.

With a cautious nod, he lets the blanket slide off his shoulders and tosses it haphazardly onto the bed. Despite Louis’ words, Rin’s fingers tremble with anxiety. “Okay. Good. I don’t… really like having to force myself into a binder before breakfast unless I have to.” He joins Louis by the computer desk and picks up a portion of the egg, ham and bacon sandwich. “My… dysphoria… hasn’t really been a problem lately but today is probably one of those days.” 

It’s not  _ just _ his dysphoria acting up today either. Now that he’s finally standing, Rin notices the heavy pressure weighing uncomfortably in his chest. It’s almost like everything he hates about himself is working against him today. 

“Did you wake up early just to buy me a sandwich?” He asks.

“I take morning runs. It was on my route, I figured I’d drop by. See how you and Aria were doing.” He shrugs nonchalantly but the apples of his cheeks tinge pink. “I know it’s nothing like Aria’s cooking but it’s still nutritious.”

Rin smiles warmly. “Thank you.”

“Y-you’re welcome,” Louis murmurs, blushing hard. 

“No, I mean…  _ thank you _ , for more than just the sandwich. For… making me feel normal.”

“You  _ are  _ normal, Rin.” Louis insists. He presses a gentle kiss to Rin’s forehead and smiles. “I’ll let you eat in peace. I’ll be downstairs, whenever you’re ready.”

Rin nods, feeling grateful. He’s not sure how much energy he could’ve summoned to keep their conversation going, but he feels immensely relieved to have someone like Louis be so receptive to his moods. Maybe the expression on Rin’s face gave it away, or maybe Louis is just  _ that  _ much in tune to Rin’s feelings that he just  _ knew _ , but whatever the reason, Rin takes advantage of the momentary reprieve. 

He eats his breakfast, slow and steady, both in an effort to savor the taste and to remind himself of all that is  _ good  _ in the world. When he’s done, getting dressed is another hurdle he needs to overcome, but he does, and he’s proud of himself for it. He makes his way downstairs for the bathroom. He catches a glimpse of Aria and Louis having hushed conversations in the kitchen and idly wonders what they could be talking about. 

Maybe they’re talking about him, about how Aria needs to ration all the pain medication in the apartment. Or about how Yakumo needs to keep tabs on his drinking. Maybe they’re whispering rumors; repeating gossip from years and years ago—no. Rin knows better than to listen to his insecurities.

He berates himself as he slips into the bathroom, and glares into his own reflection. He looks like a mess. He doesn’t, but he does. His hair is a disaster, his eyes look tired. His clothes hang off his frail, thin body; face pale and round—Rin blinks. His reflection is scowling back at him. He brushes his teeth, washes his face and peers back into the mirror.

His reflection isn’t frowning anymore.

He rejoins Aria and Louis a few minutes later.

“Are we having a secret meeting that I’m not privy to?” He asks them with a smirk.

Aria’s smug smile catches him off guard. It takes him a moment to convince himself she isn’t smug at  _ his  _ expense, and he hopes his momentary lapse of judgment doesn’t show on his face. It must’ve since Aria’s smile falters somewhat. 

“I-d-k, I think it's up to  _ him _ to tell you that.” She says, gesturing toward Louis, but her attention remains focused on Rin, a questioning glimmer in her eyes.

Rin ignores her and instead occupies his attention with Louis, who seems suddenly bashful. “It’s nothing serious. Don’t worry about it.” Louis urges. 

“Louis, you saw first hand how bad at keeping secrets Aria is. She’ll tell me when you’re gone.”

Louis gives Aria an incredulous look.

“Never on purpose.” She laughs weakly, holding her hands up in defense. “Rin just has this  _ way _ of getting secrets out of me. Granted… that wasn't an excuse this morning.” She pauses, humming thoughtfully. “Nope, I guess I just suck at keeping secrets.”

“You do. And you’ll tell me later. I’m ready for class.” He musters up a bright smile as he reaches for his school bag. “Though, I still feel like shit but I  _ guess  _ I can deal with it since Louis brought me breakfast unlike  _ someone who shall not be named. _ ”

“ _ I feel under-appreciated for all the time and effort I have put in this commitment… _ ” Aria sings, grabbing her own bag from the floor.

Louis settles Rin a curious, worried look. “Are you catching a cold?” 

Rin shakes his head slowly. “No, not a cold.”

“He has an appointment on Friday morning for…” Aria trails off, glancing in Rin’s direction, deciding to let him determine whether he wants to reveal the truth of his T appointment.

“My hormones,” Rin helpfully supplies. He reaches for Louis’ hand and intertwines their fingers. “I’m in my second year of hormone therapy. Well… second year and five months. Instead of injections, I take testosterone through pellets. Every few months, I have to get a new dose put in but the few weeks leading up to the appointment always makes me feel like crap.” He heads for the door, Louis in tow. 

“Oh. Rin, you never cease to amaze me,” Louis confesses, his voice thick with emotion. The honesty in Louis' voice catches Rin off-guard

“Right?” Aria beams proudly. “He's pretty much the most amazing person.”

“No, I’m not,” Rin blushes. “You guys are just biased.”

Aria shakes her head adamantly as she locks the door behind her. “Nope. You, Rin Nathaniel, are the strongest person I have ever known. I will not be accepting criticisms of this opinion. And I'm sure Louis agrees with me.”

“She’s right on all accounts.”

Rin puffs out a breath of laughter. “Well, okay, when you put it like that.” He preens.

Aria’s bright smile warms him deep into his core. Her eyes are full of emotion and before Rin can get emotional himself, there’s an impish glimmer in her eyes that suddenly has him feeling nervous. “Al _ though _ … he needs to get better about making important appointments. And setting alarms. And getting out of bed in the morning to get his  _ own _ breakfast so his sister doesn't have to bring his b— _ friend _ up to wake him up.” She tries not to grimace at her own slip-up, and Rin does his damnedest not to react.

He hides the awkwardness with a laugh. “Nah, I don’t see that happening any time soon. Oh but, um, sp-speaking of a-appointments…” He fiddles with the string of his hoodie and bashfully avoids Louis’ curious gaze. “If-if its not t-too much trouble, do you, um, do you… do you,  _ uh _ , would you… is there…  _ would you _ —”

Rin tries to ignore the wide-eyed smile spreading across Aria’s face. He already feels embarrassed as it is, trying to stammer out his question to Louis, he doesn’t think he can handle having her  _ knowing  _ and  _ watching _ at the same time. His palms grow sweaty as he struggles, and hopes Louis doesn’t notice it.

“W-would you… like… t-to… um, th-this Fr-Friday—”

“I’d love to be there with you during your doctor’s visit,” Louis replies easily.

Rin’s whole body immediately relaxes the moment Louis’ words sink into his mind. “Oh thank god he speaks Rinese.” He jokes. 

“To be fair, Rinese is a very easy language to pick up. It's mostly… stuttering plus volume of voice times severity of conversation raised to the power of tension in posture.”

“Context clues help too,” Louis laughs.

“Stop teasing me, I’m a fragile boy,” Rin sighs wearily.

Louis chuckles and plants another tender kiss on Rin’s head. “But teasing you is incredibly entertaining.”

“I'm gonna need you guys to stop being so adorable for like… half a second so I can actually stop this internal squee fest I'm doing.”

Louis laughs.

“I’m sorry Ari, I was born adorable. I can’t control what nature deemed me worthy of.” Rin sighs dramatically, as though it's a terrible struggle to bear such adorableness. A part of him feels grateful for Aria’s attempts to lift his spirits. The start of his morning was a terrible one, but this banter is lifting the fog he feels surrounded in.

“We're twins. Wouldn't that imply I have the same adorability level?” Aria quips, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

Rin makes a show of dramatically mulling her question over. “Oh, I  _ don’t know _ . Maybe if we ask  _ Yakumo _ ?” He leads, eyeing Louis.

Aria crosses her arms at her chest. “He's not here and I asked you. So… no, we should not ask him.”

Taking the hint, Louis pulls out his phone from his pocket. “I could always call him up and ask?” He grins mischievously. Rin gives Aria a Cheshire smile.

“NO. There is  _ absolutely _ no need to do that.” She reaches for Louis' phone, but he holds it over his head, out of her reach. “There is  _ no need to do that _ !” She jumps up, trying to reach the phone, accidentally catching the attention of several people across the street.

“Should’ve drank more milk, Ari,” Rin teases. “Then maybe you can reach it.”

Aria levels Rin with a playful glare and jumps one more time, before realizing that there is  _ absolutely _ no hope of reaching the phone. “ _ Why did I have to be the short twin _ ?” She laments.

Before Rin has the chance to think of a witty reply, a red-headed girl stops short in front of them, hands on her hips, brown eyes bright with impish glee. 

“Well, well, well! If it isn’t Louis Amamiya and my very noisy neighbors! It’s about time I finally get to meet you two.” She sticks her hand out in greeting. “I’m Rin Murasame! Your neighbor in 6B!”

“ _ Thank god _ ,” Aria murmurs before whirling around to Murasame with a bright smile. “Three A.M. Party Neighbor! Hi! I'm Aria Frey, nice to meet you!”

“Oh, so  _ you’re  _ the chick spying on our love lives.” Rin grins.

Murasame is all wide eyes and bright smiles as she turns her full attention on Rin. “And  _ you’re  _ the boy who’s captured our sweet little RA’s bookish heart.” Louis and Rin both flush red. Murasame smirks smugly. “I’ve been meaning to catch you both and make proper introductions but, well, for one, I don’t wake up in the morning and for two, you guys are surprisingly hard to find.”

“I mean… you could knock on the door?” Aria smirks wryly. “Or just… come say hi? Rather than spying?”

“You say that, but I tried. Your brother over here turned off the lights inside the apartment and pretended he didn’t exist.”

Rin panics. “Wha—no—I would— _ psshhtt!  _ You have no proof.” He turns his head away from her, cheeks pink from embarrassment. He only did that one time and it was for a very good reason!

“Oh yeah, that's a thing he does,” Aria says, waving her hand dismissively. “The trick is to pretend you didn't notice and just keep knocking. Or just be a cute bookish RA with red eyes. One of the two.”

“That was my back up.” Murasame giggles. She glances at Rin again, eyes curious. “I didn’t catch your name, by the way.”

“Oh, it’s Rin. Rin Frey.”

Murasame lights up like a thousand watt light up. “Oh! Another Rin! No wonder I liked you. Oh, and by the way, I’ve been meaning to tell you this, but I think you and Louis make a great dancing team.” She winks playfully.

Aria giggles, while both Louis and Rin blush a deep, dark red. Louis tries to cover his embarrassment with a cough, but it fails.

“Frey genes pretty much guarantee dancing skills. At least that's what  _ I _ think.” Aria grins.

Murasame giggles. “Well, don’t let me hold you guys up! Catch you around.” She gives them a salute, then runs off in the direction of their apartment.

“ _ Welp _ , now that I know she’s a 'Rin,' it explains  _ everything _ .” Rin sighs heavily.

Aria nods in agreement. “Yup! Must be with the name. Right,  _ Lulu _ ?”

“I’m starting to believe,” He chuckles.

“Let's get to class before Rin starts defining new shades of red to turn,” Aria suggests with a smile then turns on her heel to continue forward.

* * *

After bidding Aria farewell for the moment, Louis and Rin take their time. With the crowds of students thinning the longer they take to reach their class, Rin finds the growing silence between them somewhat discomforting. Terror builds itself in the back of Rin’s mind, and he knows Louis isn’t to blame for it, but the longer they take to reach their Contemporary Literature class, the more anxious Rin becomes. Thankfully, Louis is the first to break the stifling silence.

“Hey, I’m not sure if I got the chance to thank you for this yet but… thank you for the banner. Karen’s been ecstatic about it ever since.” Louis’ easy-going smile calms Rin’s frayed nerves. “Aurora’s surprise party is this Saturday, so she’s been going on and on about it lately.” He laughs lightly.

“About the banner?” Rin muses, feeling a smile tugging his lips.

Louis nods. There’s a twinkle in his eye that makes Rin’s chest grow warm. Happiness looks dazzling on him. “I know you have your doctor’s appointment for this Friday, so I’m not sure how up to it you’ll be but… would you like to be my date for Aurora’s birthday party on Saturday? Karen booked Ichor for the whole day.”

“Y-yeah,” Rin laughs breathlessly. “Yeah, o-of course.”

Louis’ smile is breathtaking.

When they finally reach their classroom and get settled into their seats, Rin finds himself distracted for the remainder of the period. It isn’t unusual for him, especially with Louis as his neighbor, but lately it seems unbearable. Everything Louis does is a source of fascination. From the way he sits to the way he plays with his pen; the soft, barely audible breaths he takes or the way the corners of his lips twitch as though fighting back a smile— _ everything  _ Louis does is a distraction, and Rin realizes he honestly does not care. 

Every chance he gets, Rin stares. If they need to partner up for an assignment, Rin is glued to Louis’ side. If they need to read a passage in their books, Rin’s eyes are glued to Louis. A few weeks ago, Rin would’ve been embarrassed. Now, though, he feels a sense of freedom blanket his shoulders.

Being around Louis—with Louis—gives Rin a sense of ease. Louis’ easy smiles, his soft chuckles, the glimmer in his eyes—Rin tries not to melt in his seat. He’s blatantly watching Louis again as Io calls the end of class and floats out of the room before her students do. They both sit in their chairs, staring at the other, while the rest of their classmates shuffle past. Someone bumps into Rin, and the high pitched, startled gasp snaps both boys out of their daze.

Rin cranes his neck around just in time to catch sight of a blonde girl’s apologetic face.

“I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” She asks anxiously, green eyes scanning him hurriedly.

“Yeah! Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, was I in your way?”

“No, no, it’s my fault! I still had my books in my hand—I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine, Mia,” Louis chuckles. “The desks  _ are  _ too close together.”

Mia’s green eyes flicker toward Louis and a flash of recognition crosses through them. She profusely apologies again and then hurries out of the classroom, barely managing to keep her books from falling. With the class devoid of students save for them, Rin finally packs his books away.

“You know for a bookworm, you’re a surprisingly popular guy.” Rin muses. “Two cute girls in one day? What a playboy.”

Louis’ breath of laughter sounds like music in Rin’s ears. “I’m an RA. I’m required to know most of the freshman. Besides, I’m surprised you didn’t recognize her, she’s your neighbor after all.”

Rin blinks in surprise. “She is?”

“Murasame’s roommate, last I checked.” When he finishes packing his bag, Louis rises from his chair. A flash of concern passes through his face. “Not to change the subject, but I’ve been meaning to ask… are you familiar with Rocky Rose?”

Rin hates the way his body stiffens before he can help himself. He hates the way his chest constricts, his breathing shortened, but he manages—forces—himself to stay calm in the face of Louis’ curious, but searching gaze. 

“In a way,” He manages to bite out. “Why?”

“Karen was asking me before. I told her I’d ask you.” Louis watches him for a moment, before shaking his thoughts away. “I’m sorry, that was unexpected. Forget I asked. Would you like to get lunch with me?” He holds out his hand toward Rin.

Rin takes it without hesitation, though his palms are clammy from the spike of anxiety running in his veins. “Y-yeah,” Rin manages a grin. He hopes its genuine enough to assuage the concern in Louis’ eyes. “Definitely. I’m starving. Let’s go!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout to the first line of this chapter because it is absolutely my favorite sentence in this entire fic lmfao. I feel like it summarises Rin's part of the story perfectly, haha.


	23. Yakumo & Aria (II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yakumo chuckles bashfully. "I mean, it's not like I _like_ to fight, y'know?" 
> 
> His mind cycles back to the bar, and he remembers how easy it would have been to beat the tar out of Rocky. Rather than vocalize that, he takes another bite from the Tupperware container they're sharing. He speaks from the right side of his full mouth when he continues. "I just… want to be able to protect people if they need it. Never been able to sit idly by and watch the people I care about get pushed around."
> 
> "Yeah, you told me about your history, and your file," Aria points out. She leans back and sets her hands against the gravel of the roof, then turns her face toward the sunny late afternoon sky. "We didn't really get into too much detail, though. Didn't think you'd want to talk about it."
> 
> Conflict rumbles in Yakumo's mind. Part of him doesn't want to tell her, if only because the memories are buried. He doesn't like thinking about Mido or the other foster parents who labeled him as violent just because he didn't like to see people get pushed around. At the same time, he realizes if he wants her to trust him enough to open up… it's entirely possible that he might have to take the first step on his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **CW/TW for mention of past physical abuse and mentions of a past suicide attempt.**

Yakumo decides that happy Aria is something he can easily get used to. The way she can't get through a sentence without smiling, the way she sits close enough to Yakumo for their legs to brush as they enjoy their afternoon on top of the science building, the way she's slowly but surely opening herself up to him… 

From the moment he saw her, he thought she was beautiful, but this new, unguarded version of her is even more beautiful somehow. The smile on her face; Yakumo thinks a smile that bright should be illegal. He knows she calls Rin 'Sunshine,' but looking at her face, the way her eyes light up and the way her lips curl in joy makes Yakumo think that he's not the only one who deserves that title. 

He watches as she swings her legs over the parapet, her calves dangling down into the empty space below them. She takes another bite of the fruit salad she'd made them and turns to look at him, eyes alight with excitement as she regales him with a story of her walk to class the morning prior.

With a mouthful of grape and cherry, Aria half-smiles. "And it turns out she's Three A.M. Party Neighbor. Remember the one I told you about last Wednesday?" she asks.

Humming throughtfully, Yakumo laughs, too. "I remember. So, Murasame is Three A.M. Party Neighbor. Why does that not surprise me? That girl has no chill whatsoever," he muses.

"I got that gist," Aria nods and takes a sip from her coffee. She turns and glances up at Yakumo. "Man, is there anyone on campus you don't know? I guess it makes sense. You're a security guard and everything, so you need to know who's who, but I've never seen a security guard so… _popular_ before."

Yakumo chuckles. "Thanks, I think? "

Smirking, Aria nods. "It _was_ a compliment." She shrugs nonchalantly, flicking an errant piece of pineapple that had fallen from her fork over the edge of the parapet. "Most of the time when you think of a security guard, you think of 'the man.' Oppression Central, the world under your thumb, etcetera, etcetera."

"Well, I guess I'm glad I'm not oppressive?" Yakumo laughs.

Aria shakes her head. "Nope, not you," she agrees, pokes him gently in his shoulder. "I know you're strong but you're pretty much just a big goofball. It's no wonder you and Rin get along so well."

Yakumo chuckles bashfully. "I mean, it's not like I _like_ to fight, y'know?" 

His mind cycles back to the bar, and he remembers how easy it would have been to beat the tar out of Rocky. Rather than vocalize that, he takes another bite from the Tupperware container they're sharing. He speaks from the right side of his full mouth when he continues. "I just… want to be able to protect people if they need it. Never been able to sit idly by and watch the people I care about get pushed around."

"Yeah, you told me about your history, and your file," Aria points out. She leans back and sets her hands against the gravel of the roof, then turns her face toward the sunny late afternoon sky. "We didn't really get into too much detail, though. Didn't think you'd want to talk about it."

Conflict rumbles in Yakumo's mind. Part of him doesn't want to tell her, if only because the memories are buried. He doesn't like thinking about Mido or the other foster parents who labeled him as violent just because he didn't like to see people get pushed around. At the same time, he realizes if he wants her to trust him enough to open up… it's entirely possible that he might have to take the first step on his own.

He sighs and finishes the last of his coffee, before turning to look at her again. His expression is hard to read, but if he has to describe his intention, it's 'are you sure you want to go down this road?'

Aria blinks as she meets his gaze, seeming to understand the tone behind his look. "You still don't have to tell me, if you're not comfortable enough with me. I totally get it."

"No, no. That's not it, trust me. I definitely feel comfortable with you." It's not a lie. Not at all. He's more comfortable around her than he's been around most other people in his life. "I just… didn't expect to be having this conversation in the afternoon, sitting on the roof of the science building."

With a bitter smile, she shakes her head. "Me either, trust me."

Shrugging, Yakumo muses, "I do trust you. Which is why…" He pauses for a few long seconds, before pointing at the long scar on his face. "I know I told you I got this scar in one of those fights, right?"

Aria nods. "Yeah." She leans forward again, her gaze trained on him, watching him intently.

Yakumo isn't used to being watched this closely. It's almost like she's searching him. Those big, sparkling, violet eyes meet his, and even though she's watching him closely, he sees no judgment in her gaze. Curiosity, sure. Interest, definitely. No judgment, though. More than anything, that's what encourages him to continue.

It's still not easy, though. He breaks their gaze and looks out at the distant treeline.

"The last foster home I was in before I turned eighteen was the worst. Guy had a hell of a temper, and a hair-trigger. A couple of the kids I grew up with were sort of… troublemakers. Not real trouble or anything, just pranks, you know? Riki and Miguel would have little prank wars, where no one would get hurt. Harmless stuff. We moved in and out of homes together, so I was familiar with their brand of trouble."

He sighs and puffs out a slow breath, shucking his security jacket and hanging it on the edge of the parapet next to him. It's a nice day, warm and slightly breezy, and the jacket is making him uncomfortable.

"Our guardian didn't think so, though. It was just one of those harmless bucket-on-the-door pranks. No big deal. Miguel was supposed to walk into the bedroom and get drenched with milk, which they'd clean up before anyone even noticed. Miguel wasn't the one who ended up opening the door, though."

Aria gasps softly. "Oh no…"

With a nod, Yakumo quirks his head to the side in a shrug. "Yeah. Riki wasn't home at the time. He was at some tutoring session or something to make sure he graduated with the rest of us. I was supposed to take pictures and tell him what happened when Miguel opened the door, but… when I rushed around the corner with my phone at the ready…" He laughs bitterly.

The warmth of Aria's hand sliding into his takes Yakumo by surprise. She moves the empty Tupperware container and closes the distance between them. Yakumo is surprised by how comforting it is just to have her here. He usually doesn't talk about this, but with her… it's easy. Easier, at least. He manages a slightly more genuine smile as he links their arms to make it easier to hold her hand.

Almost as quickly as the smile appeared, it fades away. "Yeah, he wasn't pleased. I couldn't let Riki or Miguel take the blame, though. Defenseman on the ice, defenseman off the ice."

"Or just… a sweet and protective guy," Aria counters. "Maybe both."

Yakumo feels his heart stutter in his chest as she looks at him. The look in her eyes is warm, gentle, and kind. He knows she is all of those things, but the way she's looking at him really makes him feel like he's the only person in the world. Yakumo manages a lopsided smile and reaches up to push a loose strand of curly purple hair behind her ear.

Shrugging, he nods. "Both, probably." He meets Aria's inquisitive gaze again. He realizes he needs to continue. "I don't think he _meant_ to physically hurt me. Not this time, anyway. He got mad, and rather than going to clean the milk off himself, he started just… breaking stuff in the halls. I'm not sure if it was the vase or maybe the glass from a picture frame, but something caught me in the face and… the only thing keeping it from getting me in the eye was my hand. Or maybe it was the way I turned my head. I'm not sure. The details are kinda… fuzzy."

Aria lifts her free hand and traces it idly along the scar. "Either way, it's… I can't even imagine how scary that must have been. It looks deep."

Yakumo closes his eyes and relishes the feeling of her fingers running along his cheek. "Yeah, it… it was pretty deep," he answers huskily. "The ER doctor was telling me how lucky I was that it wasn't any deeper. That's just how it was with Mido, though."

The way Aria completely freezes doesn't escape his notice. Yakumo can feel her tense as she pulls her hand back slightly and squeezes his with the other. She stares at him like he just said something terrible, and for a second he worries that he's scared her away somehow. After a too-long second, she blinks, swallows thickly, and tries to speak.

"D-did you—" She stops, closes her mouth, then opens it again to try to speak again. Nothing comes out so she pulls in a deep breath and tries one more time. "Did you… did you say…" Her voice is small and meek, almost like she's afraid saying his name will summon him. "Mido?"

Furrowing his brow, Yakumo tries to read the expression on her face. She's scared. That much is for sure. Beyond that, it's hard to parse. "You know him?" he asks gently, brushing his thumb over the top of her hand.

Aria nods sharply. "Y-yeah, Rin and I were… we lived with him, too. He was the last foster home we stayed in, too, so…" She swallows nervously, her body still tense. "We know what he's like. He was… he was different when we stayed with him, though."

Yakumo releases her hand, opting instead to wrap his arm around her shoulders and pull her close. Just like usual, she nestles into his side. She's closer this time, though, and she's holding him tighter than usual, like she needs the comfort to talk about this. Yakumo holds her, and while he waits for her to figure out what she wants to say, he thinks about the common-ground they have—the connections they _could_ have had, if fate had decided to introduce them sooner.

He's about to turn and ask how he was different, what it was like when they lived with him, when the sound of the roof door opening catches his attention. He curses under his breath as he turns toward the sound, and is surprised to see Emily stepping out onto the gravel of the roof.

"_There_ you are, Yakumo!" Emily stops, and her mouth closes quickly when she sees Aria leaning into Yakumo's side. "Oh. You're not alone. I was wondering why you weren't at our usual meet up spot. You were gonna walk me home."

Yakumo shakes his head. "No, I texted you. Told you I had plans. Remember?"

Emily shakes her head innocently. "I must've missed it. It's no big deal! I found you now!" She smiles and sits on the other side of Yakumo, much closer than usual.

A frown tugs the edges of Yakumo's lips down when Aria pulls away from him and looks down at the grass. She seems almost embarrassed to be caught so close to him. In the back of Yakumo's mind, he thinks of Louis' words from a couple of weeks ago, about how Emily feels threatened by Aria. The way she's looking at Aria right now… Yakumo has never really seen that look in Emily's eyes before. She seems angry, annoyed by Aria's presence, even as Aria avoids _both_ of their gazes and tries to put distance between herself and Yakumo.

It clicks in Yakumo's head at that moment. Louis is right. Louis is _absolutely_ right.

What's worse is, while Emily may be intimidated by Aria, Aria is intimidated by Emily in a different way. Aria is intimidated in a way that's doing the very thing Louis said it would do: push her away. At first, Yakumo isn't entirely sure what he's supposed to do in this situation. He decides to go with his gut, and act on the first idea that comes to him.

Without too much extra thought, Yakumo extends his hand and takes Aria's again. It's a small gesture, but as he links their fingers together, he hopes its a tangible sign to Aria that she has absolutely no reason to be intimidated.

Aria doesn't respond with words. At first, she only looks down at their entwined hands with wide eyes, and then they trail up Yakumo's arm to meet with his. She blinks, her gaze inquisitive, but Yakumo smiles gently at her and brushes his thumb over the top of her hand. It's a simple, non-verbal answer to her question, but Yakumo hopes it says enough to ease her mind. The way her lips form into a small, surprised smile tells him that it is.

When Yakumo addresses Emily, he tries to keep himself calm and casual, but a hundred million questions swirl around in his mind. "Yeah, you found me. Well, you found us." He laughs awkwardly, before turning his gaze back to Emily. "What's up?"

Emily doesn't answer at first. Instead, she stares at Yakumo and Aria's entwined hands, and then casts Aria a flash of a glare before her smile returns. It isn't the typical Emily smile. There's something different to it. Something darker; angry almost. It's fake, of that much Yakumo is sure. When she speaks, none of that shows.

"Do I _need_ a reason to come spend time with my old friend? Especially since we always walk home together on Tuesdays?"

Aria looks at Yakumo, then points over her shoulder at the door. "I can go if you want me to," she tells him, sounding discouraged.

Meeting Aria's gaze gently, Yakumo shakes his head. "No." He runs his thumb over the back of her hand again "No, please don't go. We planned to walk home together, right?"

"Yeah but—"

Emily seems to jump on the opportunity. "Well, I don't have anything planned!" She unzips her coat to take it off, practically inviting herself into the conversation. "If—sorry, I can't remember your name—if she wants to go, you can walk me home instead!"

Yakumo frowns and turns back to look at Emily, taking Louis' advice and watching her eyes closely. "No, Em. I had plans with _Aria_. I get that I haven't been hanging around with you as much lately, but that doesn't mean you get to invite yourself along when I already made plans with someone else."

Without saying a word, Aria looks from Yakumo to Emily, surprised.

Something unfamiliar flashes through Emily's eyes briefly—a flash of offense, of anger almost, when she meets Aria's gaze—but when she turns to Yakumo, it fades. In its place, she's wearing a smile that Yakumo can immediately tell isn't genuine. It makes him wonder how many times this has happened before; how many people Emily has scared out of Yakumo's life with misplaced anger.

Giggling innocently, Emily shrugs. "Oh, well that's okay! We've still got later, right?"

"Later?" Yakumo looks at her curiously.

Emily nods. "Did you forget, silly? Sheesh, you never used to be this forgetful." She casts a pointed look at Aria.

Yakumo frowns. "What're you talking about, Emily?"

"Dinner! We were supposed to go to that cute little Italian place to catch up, and then we were gonna—"

The plan doesn't ring a bell, and Yakumo cuts Emily off with a shake of his head. "No we weren't," he insists. "I wouldn't forget something like that."

After a pause, Emily hums in a dramatically thoughtful fashion and pulls out her phone. She scrolls through like she's looking for something. "Oh right, it _wasn't_ you I had plans with. It was Riki. Sorry about that! Still, we should get together soon. Have some dinner, go dancing or something. On Wednesday night, maybe?" she asks.

"I can't on Wednesday, or Thursday. I go to dinner at the Freys' place on Wednesday night and on Thursday I have plans with Rin and—" He turns to glance at Aria, chuckles bashfully. His plan was to ask her out on Thursday night, but he doesn't want to do that right now when the mood has been completely dampened. He looks back at Emily, "then for the rest of the weekend, I work. So… maybe next week?"

Humming thoughtfully once again, Emily shakes her head. "Sheesh, with your new friends, it's almost like you don't have time for your old ones anymore," she comments, feigning innocence.

Yakumo balks. It's true, he hasn't had much time to spend with Riki or Miguel lately. He was _decently_ sure that it had more to do with conflicting schedules than anything else, but could _he_ have been the problem? No. No, he isn't. Louis' words ring in his mind again, and he's about to speak up, when he hears a familiar voice filling the air.

Much to his surprise, Aria speaks up before he has the chance. "It's not like he's _forgetting_, Emily. He only has so much free time in a week," she insists, her tone protective. It grows a little sharper, and more accusing, when she continues. "Don't you think he should get to decide how he spends it, instead of having you try to confuse him and _lie_ about plans he never made?"

"_Excuse_ me?" Emily replies, scandalized.

Aria moves closer to Yakumo, and Yakumo can sense that her confidence is coming back. "You heard me," she insists. "You would think, knowing him as long as you have, that you would know he's not the type of person to forget when he makes plans with someone. If you think you can exploit his kindness and make him feel guilty for only having so much free time in a week, you're wrong. Not while I'm here."

Emily scoffs, and without another word—at least not one they're supposed to hear, as Yakumo can hear her cursing Aria out all the way to the door from the roof—she leaves.

The silence that she leaves in her wake lingers for a few seconds too long. Yakumo is stunned speechless, but grateful to her for stepping it when it seemed like he was too surprised to speak for himself. He turns to her, smiles easily, and pushes that same stray hair behind her ear.

"You didn't have to do that."

Aria chuckles lightly. "No, I did. I've…" She pauses, red dusting her cheeks as she turns her gaze away from Yakumo. "I've sort of… god this is stupid."

Sighing, Yakumo shakes his head. "It's not. I think I know what you're going to say and it's not stupid," he reassures her. "A couple weeks ago, after you met her for the first time, Louis pointed out to me that… this is a thing she does. She gets jealous whenever I make new friends."

With a shrug, Aria murmurs, "Didn't seem jealous of Rin."

"She was. But… you're different." He can feel the heat rising to his face, and he turns his attention to their twined hands instead.

Aria turns to look at him again, tracing idle patterns on his palm with her thumb. "Different, huh?" There's a new lilt to her voice that eases Yakumo's tension and makes him smile.

"Yeah. You're… you're definitely…" He laughs, but it comes out as more of a soft breath. The feeling of her fingertip tracing his palm leaves little tingles in its wake, and he swallows thickly to try and center his mind. "Ari?"

She moves closer to him again. "Hm?"

"What're you doing Thursday night?" He meets her eyes and gives her a gentle, warm smile.

The coyness and playfulness in Aria's tone when she hums in reply makes Yakumo's chest flutter. "Nothing. I kept it open. You know, just in case some super cute guy wanted to ask me out."

Yakumo laughs again, and the heat in his cheeks gets a little warmer. "That something that happens a lot?"

Aria shrugs nonchalantly. "Nah. Up until recently it was only sorta cute guys. I went out with this _really_ cute guy last Thursday." She meets his eyes, smirking impishly. "If you're planning on asking me out, you've got some pretty big shoes to fill. That was pretty much the best date I've ever been on."

With a lopsided smirk, Yakumo nods. "Guess I've gotta up my game, then. You willing to give me a chance?"

Tapping her chin with her opposite hand, Aria pretends to think the offer over. Once she 'decides, she lifts Yakumo's hand and brushes a soft kiss against his knuckles. "You know? I think I am. Better make it worth my while, though, Dream Maker."

~

Aria stands in the kitchen, waiting for the coffee in the pot to finish brewing. She glances out into the living room, where Yakumo is looking at his phone, and a smile eases its way across her lips. It's… really strange, she thinks. Never once in her life has she felt so _comfortable_ around someone who isn't Rin. She'd come so close to letting her guard down earlier. Knowing that he has a similar history with Mido makes it easier for Aria to trust him.

It's strange, and definitely sad, that they both have to have that type of connection, but for Aria, it's so much easier to talk to someone who understands. She feels like she can tell him the whole story, about all the doubts Mido planted in her mind, but more importantly, the ones he put in Rin's mind. How, to this day, he's still a voice in her ear, making her feel like this is all a dream that'll be taken away from her the second she steps out of line. She wants to shake the thought away, but she knows she has to talk to him about it. He shared his story, it's only fair that she shares hers, too.

She eyes the coffee pot and realizes that there's still time left for it to brew. Swallowing nervously, she heads into the living room and sits down on the couch next to him.

"There's a few minutes left on the coffee pot," she tells him gently.

Yakumo stretches his back and blinks sharply. The tiredness lining his eyes suggests that he'd been on the verge of sleep. "That's okay." He chuckles and slides his arm around her shoulders.

Aria quirks her head to the side. "If you're tired, you can—"

"No, I'm fine," Yakumo smiles and rubs her shoulder gently. "I can at least survive on my own until the coffee brews."

The feeling of his hand on her shoulder makes her relax even further. "You sure?" she asks.

Yakumo nods, and cranes his arm to run his fingers through her hair.

Any protests Aria has completely die on her tongue at the feeling of his fingers in her hair. Having her hair touched has always been her biggest weakness, and Yakumo's fingers gently gliding through her curls make her breathe a gentle sigh against her volition. She turns her eyes to glance at him, and is taken aback by the sleepiness in his eyes, but she figures he'll be okay when the coffee is finished. That always manages to help her.

"So… I was thinking we could continue from where we left off when Emily showed up? We were talking about… y'know, Mido?"

Yakumo blinks, and Aria can tell she took him by surprise. "I don't expect you to—"

With a smile, Aria rests her head on his shoulder. "I know you don't," she reassures him. "But it wouldn't be fair of me to expect you to open up and not do the same."

She sighs, wishing she was cowardly enough to take that out. With a chuckle, she rests her head against his shoulder and tries to think of the best way to start the story.

"It must've been a couple of years after you left. You're older than we are anyway, so I guess it makes sense. I remember him talking about kids that lived with him before, and how much 'trouble' they were and how he almost lost his foster license because of some kind of incident. I wonder if that was… yours."

Laughing bitterly, Yakumo nods. "Yeah. There was an investigation and everything," he explains. "Obviously didn't turn anything up if you guys ended up stuck there, too."

Nodding, Aria laughs bitterly. "Stuck is… definitely the right word. He never got _physical_ with us, but if your situation sparked an investigation, I think it probably would have scared him. He didn't want to lose that stipend. That was something he always brought up with us. If not for the stipend, we'd be out on the street."

With a derisive huff, Yakumo's posture tenses slightly. "That old chestnut, huh?"

"It was his favorite," she explains, then pauses. "Other than incessantly deadnaming and misgendering Rin and telling me that I was a worthless slut, anyway."

Yakumo tenses further. The speed of it takes Aria by surprise.

She frowns. "I could handle it, you know? I was comfortable in my skin, for the most part. There are things about me that I wish I could change, but I know who I am, and I didn't have that constant dysphoria working against me. I'm not saying Rin is _weak_ or anything—"

"Of course you're not. You'd never say that."

Smiling sadly, Aria hums her agreement. "No, because he's not. But… having your own inner demons constantly poked at by the person who's supposed to be your guardian… there's only so much he could take." She pauses, trying to level her voice out, but she knows that it's pointless. "So… I stayed late at school one day. I think it was detention, or maybe I was with my ex-boyfriend, I don't really remember. It's not what's important."

"I got home, and Mido wasn't home." She continues, subconsciously hugging Yakumo a little bit tighter. "I thought 'hey this is gonna be a good day.' So… I went upstairs shouting for Rin because I had something important or silly or just outright ridiculous to tell him. But he wasn't responding. That was weird, you know? You see how we are. How we talk and joke and tease each other. We were like that then, too, except it was different."

It was easier to be honest back then, as hard as it was to be alive.

She shakes her head, knowing she's getting off-topic. Part of her wants to change the subject, but as she turns to look at Yakumo and sees him looking at her with concern and curiosity, she realizes she's already said too much to turn back now.

Swallowing nervously, Aria forces herself to continue. "I get upstairs and I check the room Rin and I share. Nothing. I check the other rooms, nothing. And it's then that I notice the bathroom door is open a crack but the tub is running. That's when I knew something wasn't right. Knowing Rin's circumstance, he'd _never_ take a bath with the door open and risk someone seeing him like that. So I figure he's just started drawing the bath. That he hasn't gotten undressed to get in," she explains.

"I called out to him a couple times, but he didn't respond. I knocked on the door, and he _still_ didn't respond." A lump in her throat makes it hard to keep her tone even. "So… I opened the door and… and he's laying under the water, not breathing."

Yakumo pulls her in closer. "Holy shit…" he murmurs.

Aria wants to respond, but she finds herself staring, unfocused, at the blank TV screen. Her mind goes on a trip, back to being a terrified sixteen-year-old. She remembers seeing her brother, her best friend, the only person she had in the world, sunk under the water. She remembers that there were no bubbles. She remembers just standing there for too long, her mind trying to catch up with her eyes. She remembers the moment when she finally realized what was happening and she stumbled across the tiny bathroom floor to pull him out of the bathtub. The terror hitting her like a lightning bolt at how cold he was; at how he still wasn't breathing.

She snaps herself back to attention, wiping the tears that have formed in the corners of her eyes. "I'm not sure _how_ it happened, but I think… I think he did it himself. I think he was trying to…" she trails off, hoping she doesn't actually have to say the words.

With wide eyes, Yakumo doesn't break their gaze. "Oh."

"Y-yeah. I pulled him out, but… but he still wasn't breathing. I checked his pulse. It was… it was faint, but it was still there. I couldn't call the hospital. His pulse was so faint, I knew I didn't have time. So… so I gave him CPR instead."

Again, memory takes her. She remembers using trembling hands to try to get a solid placement on Rin's slippery, wet skin. Begging him not to leave her as she did his chest compressions. Remembers how it _almost_ felt like it wasn't working. She remembers how the fear gripped her, her terror at the thought of losing her brother the only thing keeping her from giving in.

She isn't sure when she finally let the dam of tears loose, but she did. She wipes her eyes. "It took… it felt like it took forever. When he woke up, he sat straight up and started coughing, and I helped him cough it up and… and then I just hugged him. F-for as long as I could," she admits.

"You saved his life," Yakumo says as he turns her in his arms and hugs her close.

Aria buries her head in Yakumo's chest, trying to hold back a flood of tears. "Thankfully," she admits. "I don't think… I don't think I'd ever have been able to forgive myself if I hadn't."

Yakumo starts gliding his fingers through Aria's hair again. "You're amazing, you know that? You both are."

Lifting her head from his chest, she meets his eyes and blinks in shock. "What do you—"

Gently placing his hand on her cheek, Yakumo traces his thumb underneath her eye and wipes a tear away. "I mean, you're both stronger than you give yourselves credit for. Rin to bounce back from that, and you to always support him through it the way you have. You're both unbelievable," he tells her.

Aria shrugs and buries her face in his chest again. "I just did what any good sister would do."

Yakumo starts idly carding his fingers through her hair again. "You two are lucky to have each other," he tells her, his voice thick with exhaustion. 

"I'm luckier," Aria laughs humorlessly.

They stay like that for a long time, the coffee on the pot completely forgotten. As Yakumo runs his fingers through her hair, she rests her head against his chest and listens idly to the sound of his heartbeat. She thinks about Rin, how if _either_ of the twins is strong, it's him. He's overcome so much. Rin has always been amazing, and strong, but he's become so much stronger than he even realizes. A part of her wonders if he ever thinks about what happened. While a part of her hopes that he does, a more logical part of her hopes he doesn't. She doesn't want him back in that dark place, ever.

It's then that she realizes how even and calm Yakumo's breathing and heartbeat have gotten. His arm rests against the back of the couch, and when Aria lifts her head to look at him, she allows herself a gentle chuckle.

He's fast asleep.

Hesitantly, she puts her feet on the floor and gently pulls herself to stand up. She stretches and looks at Yakumo for a few long seconds as he sleeps. He's been tired for most of the afternoon. She extends her hand, gently brushing some stray hairs behind his ear, and smiles warmly, before placing a throw pillow on one of the armrests. It takes some effort and some gentle urging, but Aria manages to encourage him to lie down on the couch and rest his head on the throw pillow. When he does, she pulls her favorite paisley fleece blanket down from where she'd draped it on the back of the couch and rests it over him.

It makes sense that he's exhausted. She's never met someone who works so hard. After stepping away and making quick work of taking her makeup off, then putting in eyedrops to hide the evidence of any tears she may have shed, she pours herself a cup of coffee and starts going through the kitchen for something to make for dinner.

Aria has just decided to make chili con carne, when the door flies open. There, on the other side of the door, is one very exuberant Rin Frey. "Yes, yes, yes! Time for _Tequila Tuesday_!" 

Aria rushes from the kitchen, frantically shushing Rin gently, and gathering some of the bags from his arms to carry to the kitchen

Rin kicks the door closed behind him and stops abruptly when his eyes hit the couch. "Why is Yakumo sleeping on the couch?"

Making sure to keep her voice quiet, Aria explains, "He walked me home and we talked for a bit, and he just crashed. I didn't have the heart to wake him up."

With a grin, Rin glances back toward the couch briefly. "Oh yeah? Is that what happened?" he asks as he starts unloading the bags.

"I mean… yeah?" She glances over the half-wall to the living room to make sure the noise isn't disturbing Yakumo. Much to her relief, he doesn't stir. "Do you really think I'd do _that_ on the couch?"

Rin smirks wryly. "I would." He stores some of the alcoholic mixers away in a bottom cabinet.

Huffing, Aria shakes her head. "You would _not_!" Her voice raises a little, and she immediately flinches, glancing over her shoulder at Yakumo, who stirs a little bit but doesn't wake up. "That is _our couch that we share_."

"I was _joking_, jeez." Rin snickers. "Maybe."

Aria laughs. "Uh-huh. Sure, you horny, horny boy." She pauses and looks him over, her smile wilting somewhat but still staying solidly in place. She remembers his lapse in mood the past few days, and she's sure that this happy front is exactly that: a front. "So, how was Sunshine's day? Good enough for Tequila Tuesday to sound like a happy occasion this time, I hope?"

"My Tequila Tuesdays are always happy. But, yeah, you could say that."

After Aria finishes unloading the groceries, she hops up onto the counter. "You should call Louis and invite him over for dinner. Maybe we can all celebrate Tequila Tuesday together," she suggests with a chuckle.

Rin seems oddly receptive. "I don’t think he drinks, but yeah, sounds like fun!" he answers.

"That's okay. Maybe this means I won't be the _only_ sober one taking care of everyone else," she muses with a wry smirk in Rin's direction.

Something passes over Rin's face, but it's quick. Far too quick for Aria to make out. He quickly replaces it with a grin. "You know Aria, you _could_ just say fuck it and drink with me for once. Instead of, you know, _babysitting_."

A teasing smirk crosses Aria's face. "You calling yourself a baby, Sunshine?"

Rin makes a show of thinking very hard. "I don’t think 'baby' is in my arsenal of nicknames, but! I have been told that I’m bratty so I think that counts," he muses with a chuckle, then unscrews one of his rum bottles. "Does this mean you’re actually going to have fun? If I call Louis, I mean."

Aria looks at the rum bottle and glances over at Yakumo on the couch, quickly shakes doubt off her face and looks at Rin. There are a million reasons not to drink tonight, and very few reasons to drink. Rather than answering right away, she chuckles lightly. "Wow. Are you implying that I'm boring?" she asks in mock offense.

"Only a little bit," Rin teases.

Huffing, Aria crosses her arms at her chest. "Wow. How very dare." She sighs and shakes her head, quickly declining the offer. "But no. I probably shouldn't. I've… I've got class in the morning. Can't really afford to go with a hangover, you know? Maybe I'll have one or two, but that's it."

Rin sighs dramatically and takes a sip from his rum. "Okay, fine. Have it your way, sis. Not like I don’t have class tomorrow morning either." He takes another sip and slurps obnoxiously loud.

Aria flinches and looks over the half-wall at Yakumo, who stirs again. She looks back at Rin with a frown. "I know, but… I don't skip like you do." She sticks her tongue out at him.

With an impish grin, Rin shrugs. "I know, I’m a delinquent."

"A delinquent who's in love with the student council president. Go figure," she snorts, giving Rin a playful smile and resting her elbows on her knees. "I guess every devil needs a little angel inside, huh?"

Rin chokes on his drink, but manages to stifle his coughs in his arm. "Wow, wow. Okay. I get it. Two can play that game." He smiles a playful, yet sinister smile and glances toward Yakumo then back to Aria. He has a devilish look in his eyes.

Aria's eyes shoot open as she hops down from the counter. She rushes over to place herself in front of Rin, blocking his path. "I will pay you literally every penny I have not to do what you're planning on doing, whatever it is."

Rin downs the rest of his drink, slams the empty cup on the table, and gives Aria one last impish smile and then bolts for the living room. "Bonzai!" he shouts, before leaping over the back of the couch and landing square on Yakumo.

An unintelligible noise comes from the other side of the couch. Yakumo shoots up from his nice, relaxing, comfortable position to sit up straight and look at Rin incredulously. "What the— what the _fuck_?!"

Aria merely stands in the kitchen, stunned silent, with her eyes as wide as dinner plates. She tries to formulate words, but all that comes out are weird scoffing sounds as she tries to compose her brain.

"Good afternoon big guy! Did you have a nice nap?" Rin asks, lounging on top of Yakumo.

Yakumo looks like he's still trying to catch up with the situation. "Uh… hi Rin." He looks from Rin to Aria, then back to Rin. "I didn't even realize I was taking a nap, but yeah it was nice. You comfy?"

Rin nods. "Surprisingly so. Who would have thought that _hard_ muscle could be comfortable?" he muses.

"_Rin_!" Aria cries out.

Though he sounds amused, Yakumo murmurs, "I have never been more confused by anything in my life. How did this happen? Why did this happen?"

As Rin finally climbs off of the couch, he turns to Yakumo and shrugs. "That’s irrelevant," he muses. "Will you be staying for dinner? And probably Tequila Tuesday?"

Aria takes her phone from her pocket and types a brief text to Louis, inviting him over for the night's festivities."Oh, you think this is _over_, do you Sunshine?" she murmurs under her breath.

"I mean, sure," Yakumo shrugs. " I can if you guys want me to. If Aria doesn't mind cooking extra for me."

Shaking her head nonchalantly, Aria shrugs. "Nope, I'm fine with it! I'm planning on making two extra servings, actually," she explains as she holds her phone up, showing it to Rin. Two text messages are on the screen.

"Bold of you to assume I wasn’t going to invite him in the first place," Rin challenges with a smug smile.

With a chuckle, Aria smirks. "Right but now he knows you're being bratty. The devil needs his angel."

Rin rolls his eyes playfully.

Yakumo still looks confused, but he sits up with a grin on his face. "I have no idea what's going on but this is way more entertaining than my usual dinner plans so I'm honestly just glad to be here," he muses.

Aria blushes lightly, but hides it by quickly turning around and gathering what she needs to make dinner. As usual, tonight promises to be another eventful night. The dark thoughts from earlier are the furthest thing from her mind as she sets to chopping a large steak to put in the chili.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a forewarning: This is when stuff starts getting a bit heavy, and it keeps coming for a while. ♥


	24. Bros being Bros

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yakumo and Rin have a broment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're not late. You're just too early!

Rin is exhausted, both mentally and physically. He’s beyond the level of appropriate exhaustion and he knows that it's partly due to the loss of consistent testosterone. Part of it is environmental, though. He feels the stressors of the last few weeks catching up to him, finally running him ragged, but the most he can do is keep on going. Or at least, keep on going until Friday, when his new dosage goes in. It won’t remove  _ all  _ of his problems, but it’ll certainly give him the energy he needs to keep going. 

Regardless of his sluggishness, today Rin promised to meet up with Yakumo. It’ll be their first hang out outside of Aria and Rin is excited to finally get to know what Yakumo is like. It's the perfect opportunity to grill the man who is interested in his sister, after all.

They meet up outside of the school’s ice rink and find a comfortable seat in the stands. They’re the only spectators for today’s practice, which Rin doesn’t mind. He settles down beside Yakumo with his sketchbook at hand and eyes the team below in the rink as they wait for orders from their coach.

“I don’t know how hockey works, but I’m excited to watch.” Rin grins easily, clutching his sketchbook tightly.

Yakumo flashes him a friendly smirk as he shucks his security jacket and lays it on the empty spot beside him. “The thing about practice is that you really don't have to know much.” He explains. “ The coach yells all the commands and you sorta learn the terminology by listening.”

As if on cue, the coach skates out onto the ice, and the first command he hears is 'alright, boys, let's go! Half-ice forward skating, forehand only puck control drills. I see anyone slacking off they're skating twenty board-to-board speed drills with  _ no _ breaks, you got me?' Then he smacks his stick on the ice. 

Rin’s eyebrows disappear into his bangs as he watches the team scatter. It all sounds alien to him, but there’s something awfully nostalgic with the way the coach blows his whistle.

“Okay, so there's… not much that needs to be explained there, but we get to watch them skate around like idiots for about five minutes.” Yakumo chuckles.

Rin puffs out a breath of laughter. “Wow. Sounds like fun.” He grins.

“Usually no, but when  _ this _ happens—”

As Yakumo points, one of the players loses control of his skates and crashes into the end board, causing a three-skater pile up against the wall.

“Miguel may be a good player but he  _ really _ needs to work on not causing three-player pile-ups.” Yakumo muses. “Should've seen the time he did it while they were actually  _ playing _ . Everyone in the stands was cracking up.” He laughs, then turns toward Rin “So, Louis tells me you're going to Aurora and Karen's party?”

Startled by the change in subject, Rin jerks in Yakumo’s direction, eyes wide. “Oh, uh, y-yeah. He says his sister booked Ichor for the day so I guess that means you’ll be handing out drinks to me  _ allllllll _ day.” He grins impishly.

Yakumo laughs. “I think Gustav asked your sister to sing all day, too. Switch with Eva on and off.” He smirks and turns his head back to the ice. “It'll be nice not to have to worry about the usual rowdy crowd for a night. Although…” He gives Rin a wry smirk. “if I learned anything on Tuesday night, you're a rowdy enough crowd on your own.”

Rin preens, although he supposes he shouldn’t. “What can I say? The party doesn’t start until I’m there.” He shrugs casually. 

“I would argue but honestly, you're the only person I've ever known who has ever actually jumped over the back of a couch to land on someone who's sleeping.” Yakumo quips, shaking his head fondly. 

“Oh man, that’s nothing compared to all the dumb crap I used to do in high school. Jumping on top of you was tame.”

Yakumo’s eyebrows rise in intrigue. “Oh yeah? Like what?”

Rin thinks back, too many memories playing before his eyes. He laughs lightly, feeling bittersweet. “I’ve got too many stories to decide on and not enough time in the day to tell them. But one of my fondest memories was a group of friends and I snuck into the school after hours and decorated the halls with toilet paper. We were drunk, of course, but I think that’s what made it the  _ most  _ fun. And we never got caught either. They just decided putting heavy padlocks would keep us out but they underestimated our lockpicking skills.” He snickers. 

No one would really  _ know  _ about Rin’s lockpicking skills unless they saw it for themselves. It wasn’t a skill he sought out to learn; it was one that  _ became  _ a necessity hanging out with the people he did at the time.

Yakumo’s eyes widen, impressed. “I think I  _ heard _ about that. One of the teachers came into the bar right after I started working and complained about a group of 'filthy vandals' TP'ing Vein High. Didn't know I was friends with a legendary filthy vandal.”

Rin smiles smugly. “Good to know we had some sort of effect. We did a lot of stupid stuff. Man, if Ari heard half of the stories, she’d be so mad.”

“So you're a bit of a prankster, huh?” Yakumo asks, grinning conspiratorially.

“When the mood strikes.” Rin shrugs.

“I had a couple of friends like that when I was a kid. They're actually here.” He points down at the ice “Number 26 and number 37. Riki and Miguel. I was sorta their Aria, but I didn't exactly… get mad. I usually encouraged it.” Yakumo snorts. 

“We had a guy like you back in high school too. He’d encourage all of our stupid plans but he’d make sure we wouldn’t get in trouble. I have no idea what happened to him or that group but, I guess every squad has their Yakumo, huh?”

Yakumo laughs. “So I'm a stereotype, am I?” He shrugs. “I think that's okay, though. Long as they keep people from ending up in juvie for harmless pranks. I bet you'd get along great with Riki and Miguel, though. Their prank wars used to be… something for the record books. Riki stuck to the classics. Sugar in the salt shaker, turning the faucet on when Miguel was in the shower. Miguel was a little more creative, though. We're talkin' perfume in water balloons, or tabasco laden ketchup.”

Rin’s grin grows wider as he recalls his own pranks. “That’s child’s play compared to what my old friends did. But, I admire Miguel’s creativity. And there’s always room for the classics.” He winks.

“Okay, now I'm  _ really _ curious. If water balloons filled with perfume are child's play.” Yakumo chuckles, eyebrow quirked in intrigue.

Rin shakes his head teasingly. “My lips are sealed! You’ll rat me out to Ari.” He nudges Yakumo playfully, nearly dropping his sketchbook in the process. 

Yakumo returns his nudge with a laugh. “Never. Secrets between guys are  _ vital _ .”

“Well, when you put it that way. Let’s see…” Rin makes a show of tapping his chin as he thinks. There’s only one game that springs to mind, it’s one he hasn’t thought about in  _ years _ , but every once in awhile, he’ll recall the good times. When he wasn’t the one being pranked, that is. “Okay, here’s one. We had a game where we’d bake a pie and put all sorts of weird things in it. Part of the game was to see who we could trick into eating the pie. Some of the things we put into it though… Aria would be  _ very  _ upset.” One memory does spring to mind, and it's one he isn’t proud of. He shakes the image away and shrugs, trying his best to keep his easy smile going. “It was… a fun game. It all stopped after we met Coco, though.” 

Yakumo watches him closely, curiously. Rin can tell there’s a question in his eyes but he doesn't voice it. “Coco?” He asks instead.

“Our guardian.”

“Oh, so you guys got adopted, then?”

“Sort of. It was never really official. She took us in after we ran away from our old foster. I guess she figured a couple of desperate kids like us didn’t deserve to be out on the street.” Rin smiles humorlessly. “Personally, I think we would’ve been okay. We learned pretty quickly that we could’ve made hella money selling our bodies, especially at our age. Not that we did, but,  _ imagine _ ?” 

It’s supposed to be a joke, an admittedly poor one, but a  _ joke _ nevertheless. Joking is something Rin does and he hopes his light-hearted tone comes across the way he means it to. He glances Yakumo’s way, curious of his reaction.

Yakumo is silent for a few seconds, but the expression of his face is completely stunned. He looks like he tries to talk several times, but nothing comes out. Rin grimaces, already feeling guilt well up inside him. Before he can get a chance to apologize, Yakumo finally speaks up.

“Uh… sorry, I'm just sorta… trying to process all of that.” He makes a sound that Rin assumes is meant to be a chuckle, but it comes out more like a sigh. “I'm not even sure where to start.”

“Sorry, that was probably in poor taste. If it helps ease your mind, it doesn’t really bother me.”

“Rin, I'm a  _ bartender _ . I promise I've heard way worse jokes. You can tell pretty much any joke and I can guarantee I've heard worse.” He laughs. “It's not that that's got me so… confused. You guys were homeless?”

Rin nods. “For a time.”

“How'd that happen? Do… do you mind me asking? I know it's a personal question.”

Rin scratches his temple, thinking back to a time that seems too far out of reach. He knows, realistically, it can’t have been that long ago, but living in Coco’s care for the past few years makes everything  _ else  _ seem like a different lifetime. 

“Honestly, I don’t really know? It was like, one minute our foster guardian was being a fuck, but that wasn’t unusual, and then the next we’re just kinda… scrambling to get away and he’s tossing slurs at us left and right.” He shrugs. “I can never tell what was crawling up that guy’s ass but it certainly wasn’t good. He always had a problem with us. I guess we just got tired of it.”

Yakumo’s silence makes Rin feel uncomfortable, though he’s not sure why. Just when Rin thinks it can’t get any more awkward, Yakumo finally casts him a curious, yet hard glance. “Was it Mido? Aria told me you guys stayed with him for a while, too, and that sounds like his brand.”

Rin’s lips press into a thin line. He focuses on the hockey practice below, his brows furrowed slightly. Too many words pass through his mind then, but none of them can perfectly explain what Rin is feeling. Instead, he takes a deep breath, holds it for a few seconds then exhales.

“She told you about that?” He murmurs, voice low. “Mr. Mido was our last guardian before Coco.”

“I brought it up.” Yakumo chuckles humorlessly. “It just sorta came up in conversation on Tuesday. She said he was different with you guys than he was with me. Guess that's how.” He shrugs, frowning. 

“Yeah. he was pretty hard on her.” Rin states, voice bland. He stares down at the rink below, eyes unfocused.

“Oh. She… she told me he was harder on you, actually.”

“She’d say that.” Rin murmurs, more to himself than to Yakumo. “She always does.” Snapping back to reality, he turns to Yakumo with a curious gaze. “I’m guessing since you brought it up, you were under his supervision?”

Yakumo’s frown deepens. There’s something unreadable on his face, but he shakes it off quickly. “Yeah. For a couple years. Like Aria said, though, it was different for me. For us.” He gestures down to the ice, indicating Miguel and Riki. “Not to say he  _ didn't _ talk shit to us or anything, but… it usually escalated to the point that I had to step in before Riki and Miguel got hurt.”

Rin hums thoughtfully. “I figured it was something like that. He had a temper. It surprised me more often than not that he didn’t beat the shit out of us when he could, honestly.” He huffs out a laugh. “Lord knows there were certain occasions that called for it.”

“Called for it?”

“Sorry,” Rin says, shaking his head lightly. “That was in bad taste again. All of my jokes are not landing today, jeez.”

“No, it's okay. It was just… really deadpan.” Yakumo laughs. “Like I told Aria, I think it had a lot to do with the investigation after the worst uh… escalation. He almost lost his license, or whatever the certification is, because of it. So... he was on thin ice.”

“Makes sense. I hope the kid who got the worst of it is okay, wherever he is.”

Yakumo’s laugh is awkward. He rubs the back of his neck, looking somewhat sheepish. “I, uh… like to think I am.” He confesses.

Rin’s eyes widen in realization. “Wait, what?”

Yakumo shrugs and avoids Rin’s gaze by focusing down at the ice. “It was… pretty much always me. Miguel and Riki were smaller than me back then, you know? If I didn't step in, take care of things for them, they probably wouldn't be… down there. Wouldn't be okay. I figure… I'm okay. At least I hope I am. Since I'm okay, and they're okay… it was worth it.” He shrugs again, as if that was all he could do, and gives Rin a small half-smile. 

“Sorry.” 

Yakumo blinks in surprise. “For what?”

“For being insensitive. You’ve had a rough history with him and here I am, making inappropriate jokes.” 

“Dude. Don't worry about it.” Yakumo shoves him good-naturedly, the easy smile back on his face again. “You didn't know. It's in the past, and now you  _ do _ know. You've got nothing to feel guilty for.”

“Still, I should probably be careful making jokes like that. But, I’m glad you guys made it out okay.”

Yakumo nods in agreement. “You guys, too. Really glad. I'm not used to friends like you guys, other than Louis, but he's more like a brother than a friend.”

Rin smiles warmly. “By the way, this is probably going to sound really random but, are you doing anything on Friday? Other than working I mean.”

“Nah, I don't think so. What's up?” He asks, tilting his head sideways in curiosity.

“Tomorrow is my doctor’s appointment and I…” Rin focuses on the spiral ring of his sketchbook, cheeks growing hot in embarrassment. “... invited Louis to come along with us, but I was wondering if you’d… I mean, you don’t really have to since you don’t actually know me very well but like, I think Aria would really like it if you were there. To like, come with us. You know what I mean?” He manages to force out, giving Yakumo wide, hopeful eyes.

Rin can see Yakumo’s confusion plain as day. “Doctor’s appointment?” Rin nods. “For what?” Yakumo rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. “Are you… are you sick or something?”

Rin puffs out a breath of laughter and jokes, “Depends on who you ask.”

“Oh,” Yakumo frowns. Then it clicks. “_Oh_,” he smirks, but the smile falls off his face again when realization dawns on him. “Wait, you'd really invite me along for that? Like… _me?_” He points at himself, looking dumbstruck.

“Is there another 'you' I should ask?” Rin quips in the monotone voice he can muster.

It does the trick and pulls out a laugh from Yakumo. “Well. No, I don't  _ think _ so.” The smile on his face isn't his usual easy one, instead it's a genuine, honest, full-blown smile. “I'd be happy to, dude. I'm glad you trust me enough to ask me that.”

Rin’s smile is warm and bright. “Cool. Thanks!”

“You're made of tougher stuff than me, man.” He gently shoves Rin's shoulder.

“Don’t be silly! It’s just a small procedure.” He shoves Yakumo back playfully before remembering the sketchbook still lying on his lap. He grabs the book and gives Yakumo a conspiratorial smirk. “Speaking of procedures, can I ask you a question? It’s kind of personal.” 

Yakumo quirks his head curiously again, blinking. “Okay I'm pretty sure I just got conversational whiplash but sure, go ahead, I guess?”

“How big is your dick? For research purposes,” Rin adds before Yakumo can react. He flips open his sketchbook and shows Yakumo several sketches of pensies in various states of sizes, shapes and poses. “Is it like this?” He taps on one in the upper right-hand corner. “Or this?” He picks another near the center. He peeks from over the sketchbook, giving Yakumo the most deadpan expression he can muster. “This is for research purposes, in case you needed the reminder.”

Throughout Rin’s sentence, Yakumo’s face turns several fascinating shades of red. “Wh-what kind of  _ research _ are you  _ doing _ ?” He stammers.

“Scientific research,” Rin deadpans.

Yakumo turns away from Rin and the sketchbook. He mumbles an answer under his breath, but over the sounds of the hockey practice, Rin doesn’t catch a word of what he’s saying.

“Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.” He says wryly.

“I said…” Yakumo refuses to look Rin’s way, and mumbles his answer again. Its slightly louder than before, but Yakumo’s words come out rushed and jumbled. Still, Rink thinks he hears “seven and a half inches” amidst the mess.

He nods sagely, writing the number down in his sketchbook. “I see, very interesting. So it's more like  _ this  _ one.” He makes a few more notes then turns back to Yakumo. “Would you happen to know Louis’?”

“No… no I…” Yakumo shakes his head, trying to recover from his embarrassment, but it happens quickly when a realization strikes him. “If you want to know  _ that _ , you'll have to find out for yourself.” He smirks, but his face is definitely still red.

Rin sets his sketchbook down, the page of dicks still visible to the public. He settles Yakumo with a bland look and says, “Yakumo Shinonome, have you lost your damn mind?”

"Nope," Yakumo muses with a shrug. "You'd think you'd find it easy to ask."

“You're Louis’  _ bro _ . You  _ should  _ have an easier time asking him for me.” Rin sniffs. “Tell him it's for  _ Scientific Purposes _ . He’ll understand. He’s a nerd.”

Yakumo shakes his head adamantly. "Sorry. That is a topic you'll have to find out on your  _ own _ . Just ask him. He'll tell you."

“Yakumo,” Rin presses. “It’s for  _ Science _ .”

Rolling his eyes, Yakumo shakes his head. "Then you should have no problem asking him. That's like me turning to you and asking you how big your sister's boobs are. Awkward as fuck, dude," he snorts a laugh.

Rin sighs dramatically. “You’re no fun.” He closes the sketchbook and watches practice again with a childish pout. “It’s just a dick, dude.” He murmurs. “Totally not embarrassing.”

“Not the first time I've been told that I'm no fun, probably won't be the last.” Yakumo laughs, turning his eyes to Rin's sketchbook. “So, I've heard you're quite the artist. I mean, it  _ can't _ be limited to all different dick shapes and sizes, right?”

Rin’s eyebrows disappear into his hair again. “Oh, I’m surprised. Did Louis not show you the sculpture I made him? I mean, I definitely draw more than dick shapes and sizes.” He laughs. “I draw a lot of NSFW but my sketchbook isn’t entirely  _ illegal _ .” 

"He showed me, yeah. I always figured sculpting and drawing were two completely different skill-sets, though. Like, I know people who can draw anything, but they look at a block or marble or clay or whatever and they're just like—" Yakumo morphs his face into a goofy, blank expression.

Rin laughs. “Well, you’re not wrong. Sculpting is hard.” He hands Yakumo the sketchbook, wordlessly urging him to take a peak.

Yakumo nods as he opens the sketchbook. "I mean, I've never tried  _ sculpting _ , per se. It's just one of those things that seems impossible," he chuckles.

Rin hums in understanding, as he watches Yakumo flit through the sketchbook. 

Rin’s sketchbook is, for lack of a better term, a disaster. Rin thinks so, anyway. It’s full of doodles and sketches, half-completed art pieces and some colored images for times when Rin felt creativity grip him by the neck. His better works are on his laptop, where they’re properly colored and lined. But when he isn’t in the mood to sit in front of a screen all day, or work his fingers into stiffness, Rin sculpts. Some of his sculpting ideas are in the sketchbook, and as Yakumo flips to the page where he originally plotted out Louis’ gift, Rin feels the heat of embarrassment crawl up the nape of his neck.

His sketchbook is a journey into his mind, he realizes. It’s an absurdly intimate part of him and the more Yakumo sees of his works, the more embarrassed Rin becomes. There are several pages of anatomy studies, ranging from various penises and vaginal studies to full blown nudity. There are too many pages of hands and legs where Rin struggled to get the shading or the joints  _ just  _ right, and, perhaps more embarrassing, are the pages full of Louis. Some are sketchy and half-finished, others are shockingly realistic and some are glorified, anime-style Louis’. There are several Aria’s, and even some Yakumo’s, but the ones Rin shies away from are the ones that involve Jack and Eva. Even Rocky.

Yakumo keeps turning the page, and Rin watches as an untold story unfolds. The charcoal pages are easier to tell since they’re darker than all the rest. There are one too many sketches about swirling whirlpools and hands on necks. There’s too many scratches on the pages, too many eyes peering from the darkness and a few pages are covered entirely in black. It’s the last page in the sketchbook, hidden all the way in the very back. Rin still has clean pages left before he’s all out of room, but it worries him, somewhat, that Yakumo lingers on that page for far too long.

At first. Yakumo is completely quiet, looking the images over with an odd expression on his face. "Wow," he finally murmurs. "Some of these are pretty mysterious." He breathes a note of not-quite-laughter.

Rin senses there’s something off in Yakumo’s tone, and he anxiously wrings his hands together. “Uh, y-yeah. An… Artist’s mind is a wild place, huh?” He jokes but holds his hand out in an effort to take his sketchbook back.

It seems like Yakumo doesn't notice at first. "And this whirlpool is really detailed," he points out, smiling a smile that doesn't quite seem like his usual, easy ones. "It almost looks like it's moving. Really impressive."

“L-lots of light studies for that one,” Rin murmurs.

Yakumo nods. "I bet." He happens upon a page with a sketch of Rocky on it and pauses, his lips drawing together into a tight line. "Cathartic drawing?" he asks calmly.

Rin eyes the various sketches of Rocky nervously. “Y-you could say that.” His eye catches on one particular image, it's by far, the largest of all the sketches and it takes center stage. It’s an old one, Rin doesn't remember exactly  _ when  _ he sketched it, but it's one of the first he drew, he thinks. It's an image of Rocky dressed in a suit, sunglasses over his eyes, lazy smirk on his face. He looks away and coughs into his elbow.

"What an asshole. Says a lot for your skills that you managed to portray that stupid smirk as well as you did, though." Yakumo tries to lighten the mood by nudging Rin gently. He turns the page.

Rin manages a laugh. “Yeah. Considering it was something I used to see a lot in high school, it’s kind of engraved in my memory.”

Yakumo stops on one of the many pages dedicated to Louis and gives Rin a smirk. “Looks like someone's been watching our bookish friend very closely.”

“To be fair, he has a fantastic profile.” Rin chuckles, still feeling nervous. “He has a cute nose.”

“And this one of his butt?” Yakumo points to the sketch in question. Its an image of Louis’ back, defined with far too much detail.

“Shading practice,” He answers cooly. “And… a little ass appreciation.” 

Yakumo lets out a bark of laughter. He turns to the next page and falls completely silent, it's almost hilarious how quick it happens. Rin watches his expression closely, knowing full well what picture he’s staring at. It’s a half-colored image of him and Aria, hugging each other in the middle of the twins’ kitchen. Rin almost forgot he’d drawn that in  _ this  _ particular sketchbook.

“Oh,” Yakumo murmurs, before attempting another laugh. It comes out awkwardly as his cheeks turn bright red. “W-wow.”

“Yeah,” Rin grins.

“How did you manage to…” Yakumo pauses then shakes his head, smiling lightly. “You're really good, man. Like… you even got that little crease in your sister's dimple when she smiles. I never would've been able to manage that.”

“Takes practice. A lot of it. Having an immense amount of free time helps too, but it’s all about patience, studying and practice.” He shrugs.

“Maybe,” Yakumo murmurs. He finally hands Rin his sketchbook and smiles. “It's been a long time since I've had a chance to sit down and draw. At least a couple years.”

“You draw?” 

“Casually,” Yakumo shrugs. “I'm nowhere  _ near _ your level, man. You're better than some of the pros I've seen.”

Rin shakes his head, waving the compliment away. “I was just lucky to have the time and patience.” He says coolly. He takes a moment to take in Yakumo’s expression before smiling warmly. “You know, this is going to sound out of left field, but you’re like… exactly what my sister likes in a man, except, you know, a better choice than her previous ones. Very nice.”

Yakumo laughs awkwardly. “What is with the conversational whiplash, dude?” He teases then scratches the back of his neck. “I'm… glad you think so, though. Your sister's pretty amazing.”

“She is,” Rin nods. “I’m glad she has someone like you in her life at least. If she opened up about our previous foster, I wonder if that means she feels comfortable enough with you.”

Yakumo’s smile softens, and Rin can see the tinge of sadness in his eyes. “On a related note that turns the spotlight  _ away _ from me and toward  _ you _ … you know, I've never seen Louis quite so invested in someone before.”

“Huh?”

“Yeah. He really cares about you, Rin. Both of you, obviously, but you… I've seen him talk to a lot of people, but when he's with you, there's this  _ look _ in his eyes that…” Yakumo chuckles. “I don't think I've ever seen before.”

“Is it a pity?” Rin teases. “Because that might be why you’ve never seen it before. I’m a pretty pathetic person, ya know.”

“Yeah,” Yakumo smirks good-naturedly. “He pities you so much that he turns into a human version of the heart-eye emoji whenever he looks at you. Because that's something people do when they pity someone, right?”

“It’s true,” Rin shrugs, still grinning. “I’ve seen it happen first hand, dude.” Rin glances back to his sketchbook, thinking back to their earlier conversation. “You know, Yakumo, I could teach you how to draw if you’d like.” He turns to Yakumo then, an impish glimmer in his eyes. “And then you can ask Louis what’s his size and draw for me.”

“I’m  _ definitely  _ not gonna ask Louis what his size is, dude,” Yakumo laughs. “That takes some of the mystery away when you guys inevitably bone.  _ But _ … I could pay you in cash. If you want.”

“Wait. What?”

“Rin. You were literally about to offer me free drawing lessons if I asked my best friend how big his dick is for you. And now you're surprised that I'm offering to pay you with  _ money _ ?”

“So, let me get this straight.” Rin starts, spinning around in his seat so that he’s fully facing Yakumo, hockey practice completely forgotten at this point. “You’re willing to  _ pay  _ me for offering my services? I am going to  _ use  _ my body to teach you how to draw, and you’re going to  _ pay  _ me to do that?” He grins impishly like the gremlin he is.

Yakumo blinks, surprised. “Well, that took a different turn than I expected. Are you saying you're suddenly more interested now that you know my size?” He quips.

“No, that knowledge is for future investments. You don’t have to pay me, I’ll teach you for free.”

“Actually. I have an idea." Yakumo's expression goes serious for a second. "Rocky's been bothering you for a while, hasn't he?"

Rin frowns, his good mood souring again. “Why is  _ that  _ important?” 

Yakumo sighs and looks away, somewhat chastened. "It's relevant to my idea. Trust me, okay?"

“Theoretically.” Rin murmurs, still somewhat irritated.

With a frown, Yakumo shrugs. "I'd say it's more than theoretically." He turns back to Rin, his expression calm, but still serious. "I've seen him doing it twice now. He said some pretty harsh things to you at the bar that night and the way you drew him… the way you  _ talk _ about him... "

“So? We have history. I told you, he’s some guy we used to know back in high school. It’s not that serious.”

Yakumo glances back down at the ice. "Rin, I'm not stupid. I know his type," he explains.

“Oh yeah? Then what  _ is  _ his type, Yakumo?” Rin scowls.

Huffing in frustration, Yakumo shrugs. "The same type of guy who wanted to punch your sister for insulting him on the night I first met her. The type of guy who only responds to a certain kind of defense," he answers like it's the simplest thing in the world. "The kind of defense I could help you learn."

“You’re seven years too late for that,” Rin mumbles, more to himself than to Yakumo. “I wouldn’t mind learning self-defense, but it’s not for him, okay? Let's just get that straight.”

Yakumo nods once, falling completely silent as he stares down at the ice. After the silence has stretched on a few seconds too long, he turns to look at Rin, his eyes sad. "You can trust me too, you know? I want to be your friend."

Rin heaves a heavy sigh. “Sorry. I didn’t mean—I get defensive. I trust you.”

"I get it," Yakumo reassures him. "Some parts of your past are kind of… they're always  _ there _ . You can't shake them. But you don't have to pretend they don't bug you. Not with me, or with Louis either, honestly. We're here for you, dude."

“I… I know. I just… I’m not weak, okay?”

Yakumo shakes his head, his expression serious. "'Course you're not. Just because stuff like that bugs you doesn't mean you're weak. You're strong. One of the strongest people I know," he reassures Rin. "But I can help the physical match the mental."

Rin nods, slowly at first and then with more confidence. “Okay. What do I need to do?”

With a warm smile, Yakumo places his hand on Rin's shoulder. "Well, the first parts probably gonna be the hardest: wake up  _ before _ noon to meet me at the gym next Thursday," he teases.

Rin groans dismally.


	25. The Yaria Date Chapter (II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Yakumo laughs. "You know, I think you're the first girl who's ever found my awkward brand of whatever it is I do charming." He picks up the jug of lemonade and the two plastic cups Aria packed, filling each one and setting them on the tree stump. With that done, he relaxes with his back against the fallen tree._
> 
> _Aria shakes her head. "There's no way I'm the first, trust me." Her mind wanders to Emily, but she quickly shakes thoughts of Yakumo's childhood friend from her head before she has a chance to ruin the night. She pulls the containers closer, then gestures to them, signifying that they'll be sharing._
> 
> _"Okay, the first one I'm interested in, then." He grins and picks his fork up, immediately going for the mushrooms._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **CW/TW: Mild sexual content.**

Hiking in a dress feels strange, Aria thinks. Hiking, in general, feels strange, because it's been a really long time since she's been hiking. Before Mido, at least. The early autumn evening is warm, and even as a soft, easterly breeze blows past, Aria finds herself glad she'd chosen a light dress to wear. The black lace at the bottom of the corset dress blows around gently as the breeze passes through, and she smiles.

She holds Yakumo's hand as they walk up a hill, beside the train tracks which trail into Vein from the edge of town. Their way is lit by several small lights, which bathe their steps in a gentle yellow glow. Aria thinks of the times she's heard the train passing through at night when she can't sleep. She looks up to the very top of the hill, where she spies a clearing.

Over Yakumo's shoulder, he holds a backpack that holds their dinner supplies. She'd done some research—namely, she'd asked Louis—and came to the conclusion that Yakumo's favorite meal is barbecue pork chili. Since she had all the ingredients on hand at home, she'd put it together quickly, while making an altogether different meal for Rin, whose vendetta against beans is endlessly impressive to her, no matter how many years it rages on. With a side of garlic butter mushrooms and parmesan sprinkled broccoli, and a jug of blueberry lemonade—as well as whatever cake Yakumo had brought for dessert—the small backpack looks almost like it's full to bursting.

Yakumo carries it with ease, as he holds Aria's hand and tells her about the offer Rin made to teach him to draw. It makes her proud. Rin has always been so much better than he gives himself credit for, and the fact that he's teaching Yakumo to draw tells Aria that he finally recognizes that, at least somewhat.

Aria smiles. "I'm so glad that he's finally seeing himself as more than just a fandom artist. He's always been so good," she tells Yakumo with a smile.

With a nod, Yakumo guides Aria past a large rock. "He showed me his stuff yesterday," he explains. For some reason, a soft flush crosses his cheeks, but he shakes it away and replaces it with a smile. "He really is good."

"I didn't know you liked to draw." Aria's smile widens. "Just another thing to like about you, to be honest."

Yakumo chuckles and ducks his head sheepishly. "Oh yeah, I love it," he explains as he pulls Aria in close. He wraps his arm around her middle as they continue up the hill. "I haven't really had much time to do it lately, with work and everything, but I used to draw a lot. It was a good way to escape."

Aria smirks as she rests against his side. "You sound like Rin."

"Rin's a smart guy." Yakumo shrugs. "Everyone has their escape, though. Rin and I have art. Louis has his writing and books. You have music."

"Oh, I wasn't knocking it. I think it's great. I can't even hold my hand steady enough to draw a straight line," Aria admits with a sheepish laugh. "Rin tried to teach me once a few years ago, and I just… never again. I drew a landscape and it was so bad that it was hard to tell where the ground ended and the sky began. Rin still keeps it to pick on me, I think."

Yakumo chuckles warmly. "What kind of brother would he be if he didn't pick on you a little bit?" he asks.

Aria stifles a laugh behind her hand. "Oh. You two are going to be _such_ a dangerous team, I can already tell," she jokes, then pokes his side gently.

Yakumo makes a sound akin to a yelp and jumps, then quickly tries to pretend he didn't, but the damage is already done. Aria has already seen it. A grin plays across her face as she pokes him in the side again. When he yelps again, and wiggles in a feeble attempt to move away from Aria, all Aria can do is laugh.

"Ticklish. Logging _that_ one away for future use!"

Yakumo scoffs. "You wouldn't."

With a wry smirk, Aria nods slowly. "Oh, I absolutely _would_." As if to prove a point, she purposely goes for the tickle this time, not even bothering to try and disguise it as a poke.

At first, Yakumo tries to sidestep Aria, but when that doesn't work and she chases him down, instead he effortlessly lifts her off the ground and holds her at the knees, so his head is level with her stomach. Despite Aria's surprised shriek, Yakumo carries her easily as he continues up the path to the top of the hill.

"There," he announces matter-of-factly. "Now you can't tickle me."

Aria beams as she looks down the hill behind them. "Nope, and I'm really, _really_ tall!" She laughs mirthfully. "Wow, this hill is huge. How far are we from the top?"

Tilting his head to look up at her, Yakumo smirks. "Not too far now," he promises. "How you liking it up there?"

Admittedly, the answer to that question is different from what she expected it would be. Her comfort level with the whole scenario surprises even her. Never before has she been okay with being picked up out of nowhere, but with Yakumo, it feels different. Not only because he's strong and because of how effortlessly he'd swung her around last week when they danced, but because of the level of trust she has in him.

With that in mind, she smirks at him and shrugs her shoulders. "I've always _wonderedi_ what it's like to be tall."

Yakumo laughs. "Well, you're about eight-foot-six right now, so I'd say you're taller than most—if not _all_—people alive," he points out.

"My _first_ decree as the tallest person alive is that no one is allowed to make fun of short people ever again," she declares in a regal voice. "They've taken enough abuse over the years and frankly, it's just rude." She puts her hands on her hips, then continues. "My _second_ decree is that all people who were formerly taller than me have to apologize for their former height advantage. Again, just _rude_. Being taller than your current queen."

Laughing warmly, Yakumo quirks an eyebrow at her. "You do realize, oh good Queen Aria, I could end your rule just by putting you back on the ground? In fact, I'm gonna have to if we want to get to the top of the hill, because I can't walk you up there blind," he points out.

Aria pouts dramatically, and speaks in an equally dramatic voice—one that would give Rin a run for his money, "Reality once again crashes into my fantasy and ruins everything."

Yakumo grins up at her. "Alright, fine. Just because you're not used to being tall, I'll offer to carry you on my back the rest of the way as long as you put the backpack on," he suggests.

With a bright smile, Aria nods in acquiescence. "Yakumo Shinonome, single-handedly disproving the theory that all tall people are shortist." As Yakumo lowers her to the ground, she grabs onto his shoulders before he can set her down completely and presses a gentle kiss to his cheek. "And, you know… being hella charming once again."

When she kisses Yakumo's cheek, his grin turns dopey, and a warm flush dusts his cheeks. He hooks his hands around her middle and holds her in place for a second, before the flush on his cheeks deepens and he lowers her completely to the ground.

Once her feet hit the ground, she smooths her fingers down his cheek before stepping back and offering her hand to take the backpack. Once he hands it to her, she swings it lightly over her shoulder and walks around behind him to get up on his back. It's a little awkward in her skirt, but when she climbs up onto his back and he hooks his arms under her knees, they continue their hike up the hill.

"Not _quite_ eight-foot-six, but still taller than you're used to being," he teases with a grin.

Aria rests her chin on his shoulder. "Yup, and now I'm at a perfect angle to kiss you on the cheek whenever I want, and make you grin that dorky little grin I like so much." As if to prove her point, she does just that. "A girl could get used to this."

Laughing softly, Yakumo turns his head to look at the path before them again. "I can see it now. Every day after work, you're gonna have me carrying you home on my back."

"Only if you haven't been working too hard. I may be the Queen of the Tall People, but I'm not a tyrant, Yakumo, _sheesh_."

Yakumo smirks, amused, as they finally crest over the top of the hill.

Aria looks around, wondering where they're going next. The trail continues, and there's a small offshoot that leads to a clearing in the distance. It's not as close to the tracks as the trail itself, and Aria assumes that's their destination. Her assumption is confirmed when Yakumo branches off the path and then stops at the clearing.

The clearing itself is beautiful. The ground is moss-covered, Aria notices as Yakumo sets her down. She looks next to her at a knotted, gnarled tree, which leans over the clearing. Moss crawls up one side of its branches, and the distant light from the train tracks bathes the area in a soft, green glow. A fallen stump sits in the center of the clearing, stretching into some nearby brush. There's a clear view over their heads of the sky, which has just begun to dot with the night's first stars.

Awestruck, Aria turns to Yakumo.

"When you said 'a perfect spot for a picnic' you weren't kidding. Wow." She smirks. "This is like… the most romantic place I've ever been."

Yakumo smiles shyly. "When I was a kid, I'd come camping out here when I needed to get away." He chuckles. "For a long time, I think I've been the only person who's ever been here. Until now, anyway."

The significance isn't lost on Aria, who turns toward Yakumo, stands on her tiptoes, and kisses him on the cheek again. "That's three cheek kisses in one night, and we haven't even set dinner up yet. You going for a world record or something?" She teases as she shucks the backpack from her shoulders and takes the picnic setup out.

Aria sets the blanket out, putting the edge right against the fallen tree so they can lean against it. As she starts taking the food from the pack, Yakumo sets a pair of camp lights near the blanket so they aren't eating in the dark. Before Aria sets the food out, she hooks her phone up to her Bluetooth speaker, and puts some light music on in the background. Then, she takes out the Tupperware containers of food, setting them strategically out across the blanket. The forks and spoons get set atop the largest container, and the blueberry lemonade rests on a nearby tree stump.

She turns to Yakumo, who is looking at her with a warm, soft smile on his face.

"What?" She chuckles bashfully.

Yakumo's face washes over in a bright red flush. Nothing, just…" He laughs, then looks down sheepishly. "You're really beautiful, Ari."

The candidness and softness in his voice almost floors Aria. Beautiful. He thinks she's beautiful. She feels her heart flutter in her chest and her cheeks heat up quickly. She stands from the blanket, approaches him, and takes his hand. She pulls him with her to the blanket, sits down, and urges him to do the same.

"You're not so bad yourself, Dream Maker. Charming as all hell, too," she says as she turns and pulls the top from one of the Tupperware containers.

Yakumo laughs. "You know, I think you're the first girl who's ever found my awkward brand of whatever it is I do charming." He picks up the jug of lemonade and the two plastic cups Aria packed, filling each one and setting them on the tree stump. With that done, he relaxes with his back against the fallen tree.

Aria shakes her head. "There's no way I'm the first, trust me." Her mind wanders to Emily, but she quickly shakes thoughts of Yakumo's childhood friend from her head before she has a chance to ruin the night. She pulls the containers closer, then gestures to them, signifying that they'll be sharing.

"Okay, the first one I'm interested in, then." He grins and picks his fork up, immediately going for the mushrooms.

With a soft laugh, Aria watches as he takes the marinated mushroom and eagerly eats it. "Man, it's really nice to cook for someone who appreciates the healthier stuff I cook. Rin would try to cast me out for even _thinking_ of putting a mushroom on his plate." She picks her spoon up and digs into the chili.

Yakumo grins. "Louis is the same way, though he'll never admit it. He tries to be responsible and eat vegetables, but I've seen him push them to the side just as many times as he eats them," he chuckles.

"Not you, though."

He shakes his head. "Nope." He eats a mushroom, then talks out of the side of his full mouth. "I think it's harder to find something I won't eat, to be honest. Brussel sprouts, beets, artichokes, turnips. Cheeses people think are gross… I just like food, to be honest."

Aria nods. "Me too! I never understood the whole, like… 'oh, I don't like the look of this food so I won't try it in any way shape or form' attitude." She dips a piece of broccoli in the chili. "All it takes is the right cook, and you can make anything taste good."

"Like you."

Aria smiles bashfully, but shrugs in response. "Oh, well… I can't cook _everything_. I just sorta… had to learn, you know?" She sets her fork down, then crosses her legs at the ankle and tugs at the bow in her right boot.

Yakumo shrugs and watches Aria curiously. "I don't know, I don't think I've ever had anything of yours that I didn't like. Like this chili? I may love barbecue pork chili, but this is the best I've ever had." He takes another bite, almost like he's trying to accentuate his point.

As Yakumo talks, Aria unties her boots, slips them off, and sets them on the moss next to the blanket. She uncrosses her legs, then turns to pick up a mushroom.

"Thanks," she tells him with a smile.

Yakumo grins. "Comfortable?" he asks.

Nodding, Aria relaxes even further. "Yeah, actually. Really comfortable." She laughs. "I like shoes and everything, but I'm one of those people who like… as soon as I can, I take my shoes off, 'cause it's comfortable. People usually think it's weird, but—"

"Nah, I get it," Yakumo reassures her. "Besides, it's safe here. I did a quick sweep when I was putting the lights in, making sure there was no glass or sharp rocks or anything around."

Aria smiles coyly. "So conscientious."

Red rushes to Yakumo's cheeks all over again. "What can I say? I like to keep the people around me safe."

"I know. That's one of the things I like most about you," Aria admits with a warm smile. "I don't think I've ever met someone who likes to protect people as much as you do."

She turns to look at him, and smiles when she notices he's blushing and avoiding her gaze. She sets her fork down and turns her attention back to him, reaching out and placing a hand on his chin. She turns him toward her, watching the surprise in his eyes at the feeling of her fingertips on his jaw. With a soft chuckle, she uses her thumb to brush a piece of parmesan from the corner of his mouth and then slides closer to him.

The way he watches her, wide-eyed, stunned, is a rush. Aria feels her chest fluttering under his gaze, as she uses her other hand to take the fork from his and set it on one of the Tupperware containers. She slides closer to him, where he lounges against the fallen tree trunk.

Aria regards his face with gentle amusement. He bites his lip, his yellow-green eyes curious. A heavy brush of pink colors his cheeks. He really is the most attractive man Aria has ever seen. His features are soft, and his body is built strong, muscular… handsome. Aria takes in his appearance for a few more seconds, before leaning in close to him. She leans over to his ear, whispering softly and gently, and making sure every one of her words tickles his ear as she speaks.

"That's only one of the things I like about you, though. There's way, way more than that."

It sounds like he's trying to answer, but his voice is caught in his throat. His face is even redder now, and she can see that redness extending to the tips of his ears. It's a really, _really_ flattering look on him. Her eyes meet with his once more, and she leans in, pressing her lips to his in a soft and chaste kiss.

When she pulls back, she meets his eyes again and flashes him a nervous smile. "Sorry, that was something I'd been thinking about doing since—"

Before she can finish her sentence, she feels Yakumo's hand come up and rest softly on the back of her neck. With a gentle tug, he pulls her in hungrily for another kiss. Aria willingly follows his lead. Even though the second kiss is already longer than the first, Aria can still feel how tentative Yakumo is. He seems nervous, and as she places her hand on his chest, she can feel his heart hammering beneath the fabric of his t-shirt. Aria smiles against his lips, then pulls back and looks him in the eye.

It's obvious by the way he'd pulled her in that he wants to kiss her, and Aria is pretty sure she'd made it plenty clear that she wants to kiss him by kissing him _first_, but he's still nervous.

Aria still doesn't speak. She lifts her hand and tenderly brushes her fingers along Yakumo's lower lip. She sees him swallow thickly, and a smile plays at her lips. She crawls across the blanket, then lifts her leg to straddle his waist.

Yakumo stares up at her, yellow-green eyes wide. "Aria, what—"

"It's okay," Aria promises.

The smile stays on her face as she reaches down and takes his hand. She lifts her other hand, placing it on the low shoulder of her blouse. She tugs the shoulder down, gathering the top of her bra along with it and tugging it down too. With her breast exposed to the cool night air, she lifts his hand and places it over the exposed skin.

Heat floods Aria's face, but her voice is confident when she speaks again. "You can touch me, wherever you want. I… I don't mind," she tells him with a devilish smile on her face.

Aria watches his chest rise with a shaky breath, and a lopsided grin plays across her face. She never expected him to get so wound up just by touching her breast. She leans in, pressing her lips to his once more, this time in a heated kiss. She brushes her tongue along his lower lip, urging him to open his mouth, and when he does, she immediately sets to exploring. The way he brushes his tongue against hers is clumsy and inexperienced, which takes her off guard but doesn't stop her.

She brushes her hips against his, and feels an overwhelming sense of triumph at how excited she can feel him getting. It's equal parts surprising and not. Usually, a little kissing and touching isn't enough to drive a guy this crazy, but as Yakumo gets harder under the slightest bit of attention… needless to say, Aria is taken off guard.

_Well, if he enjoys this, then…_

Lowering her hands to the waistline of his pants, Aria takes hold of the button on his jeans. She breaks the kiss and grins at him, only to be surprised when—

"Aria, wait," Yakumo tells her as he removes his hand from her breast and pulls her shirt and bra back up.

Aria stops abruptly, blinking at Yakumo in surprise. "Huh?"

Yakumo lifts his hand and places it gently on her cheek. "You don't have to do that," he tells her softly.

"I know I don't _have_ to. I can tell you _want_ to, though, so I—"

Red dusts across Yakumo's cheeks again, and he laughs nervously. "I mean, it'd be stupid of me to deny that, since you can probably tell that I…" He stops suddenly, embarrassed, then glides his thumb along her cheek. "Yeah. I _am_ interested."

Aria finds herself subconsciously leaning against Yakumo's hand, and she revels in the warmth and the feel of his callused fingers against her skin. "Exactly. You're interested, and I'm interested, so it makes sense, right? You've been so good to me. I just want to be good to you in return," she tells him softly.

"You _are_ good to me."

Laughing nervously, Aria shrugs and waves her hand dismissively. "Well, yeah, but that's just… simple stuff. Anyone could do that."

Yakumo shakes his head. "Aria. You're amazing. You're fun, smart, talented, sexy, funny… you're like… the perfect girl. I'd have to be _insane_ not to want you, and I do. But… I want you for more than _this_." He smooths his hand through her hair and smiles warmly at her. "Yeah, you're gorgeous. You're the most gorgeous girl I've ever met. You're so much more than that, though."

Aria's face flushes red, and she stares at Yakumo like he just said the weirdest thing she's ever heard in her life… partially because, as far back as she can remember, no other guy she's ever known has said anything like that to her before. The words, the tenderness in Yakumo's voice and the look in his eyes as he regards her like she's something to be treasured… it leads her to believe that he actually means it, too. She swallows, trying to buy herself time to come up with something to say.

Fortunately, Yakumo has her covered.

"It's not that I don't want you, Aria. I want you like _crazy_. I'd have to be stupid not to, like I said." He smiles that lopsided, dopey smile Aria loves and traces her lip with his thumb. "I just don't want to rush."

Aria is still quiet as she watches him, but as she meets his eyes, a strange warmth spreads out from her chest. It's different from desire, from the wanting warmth she's used to feeling. She definitely wants him, she's definitely _attracted_ to him, but… this isn't that. It's the type of warmth that's powerful enough to start forest fires. The type of warmth that can melt ice in a split second.

She still struggles to find the right words to say, as she looks into his eyes and sees something unfamiliar reflected back at her. It's no different than Yakumo's usual expression when he looks at her, but she sees something else there now. Something… new.

Before the thought can manifest too much further, she leans down and throws her arms around his neck, burying his head in his chest and letting silence fall over them. For a few seconds, the only sound she can hear is the music playing in the background and the slow, calming beating of Yakumo's heart.

She doesn't dare move her head from his chest. "M'sorry," she mumbles.

Yakumo runs his fingers through her hair. "For what?"

With a nervous laugh, Aria shrugs. "Living down to my reputation," she admits halfheartedly.

Once Yakumo pushes her from her position, so she's sitting up again, he gently puts a few strands of her hair behind her ear. "Hey. Don't say that," he chastises her gently.

Aria shrugs dismally. "It's true, though. I mean…" She turns and looks away from him, instead focusing her attention on the black and white paisley pattern on the fleece blanket she'd chosen to use as their picnic blanket. "When I was younger, I wasn't exactly… I had that reputation. People said I was easy. Sort of a slut—"

"Don't…"

Laughing emptily, Aria meets his eyes finally. "They did, though. Yakumo, by the time I was eighteen, I already had _two_ pregnancy scares. So, they said I was a slut. In reality, I was probably just an idiot. There was this guy… I was pretty on and off with him all through high school. He was a major jerk, and I see that now, but when I was younger, he would do this thing where he'd play nice long enough to make me take him back. He'd call Rin by his proper name, call him my brother, tell me I'm pretty, and smart, and amazing, and say all these nice things… to get in my good graces, you know?"

She laughs humorlessly again, then moves from Yakumo's waist. As she adjusts her position, she gathers the containers of food and places them closer, then nestles against his side and rests her head against his chest.

"I'm pretty sure it was all an act, though. Most of it, anyway." She hands Yakumo's fork back to him. "Because as soon as I _took_ him back… like, two weeks would pass and he was right back to his old games again. Deadnaming Rin. Calling him my sister. Saying I was a prude if I was too tired from working to have sex with him."

She sighs.

"I think that's how… my reputation came about, you know? It's not like I was going around fucking every guy who looked at me. I just… you know, dated other guys when we were 'off,' and he assumed I was fucking them, too. But I never did." She shrugs as she stabs her fork into a mushroom. "Didn't matter how many times I told him I wasn't. He didn't believe me. So, he… told people I was easy. But I always went back. I don't know why, in retrospect."

When Yakumo finally speaks, his voice is surprisingly low. Dangerous, almost. "What was his name?"

Aria lifts her head and meets his gaze, her eyes wide in surprise. "Why?"

Yakumo blinks, then looks at Aria in surprise. "I'm just curious." His tone is slightly more casual, but there's something in his eyes that Aria can't quite place. "He sounds like a Chad. Or maybe a Joffrey."

The joke actually manages to pull a laugh from Aria. "No. No, he wasn't a Chad or a Joffrey. His name was Rocky." She frowns, then turns back to the food and eats the mushroom on her fork. "Probably because that's what was in his head or something."

Muscles tensing, Yakumo hugs Aria a little bit tighter. His arm wraps protectively around her middle. When he speaks, his voice is calmer, but it still rumbles that same low rumble. "He'd have to have rocks in his head to treat _you_ like that," he mutters.

Aria looks up at him, and is surprised at the look on his face. He looks… mad, maybe? At first, there's a brief flash of some sort of recognition in his eyes, but when that fades it's replaced with protective anger. She doesn't exactly understand why, considering he doesn't even know who Rocky is, but at the same time, she gets it because it's the same way she felt when Emily was trying to make him feel guilty a couple of days ago.

"You're different, though. Like… night and day different," she tells him gently.

When Yakumo looks her way, anger immediately fades from his face. His lips curl into a gentle smile, and his eyes soften. He cranes his neck, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, and rubs his hand up and down her arm gently.

"Good. I _want_ to be different. That's why I want to take our time. Well, part of it," he admits with a bashful laugh, before eating another mushroom and stabbing his fork into a piece of broccoli.

Aria blinks, curiosity lining her features. "Part of it? What's the rest?" she asks.

Red washes over his face again. "Oh. Uh…" He ticks his opposite shoulder up in a shrug. "You know. I… I haven't, uh…"

As realization dawns on her dawns on Aria, she stares wide-eyed at Yakumo. "Wait. _You_? _You're_ a virgin?" She blinks, completely stunned by the fact that _Yakumo_, of all people, is a virgin.

The red in his cheeks deepens, and though he tries to laugh it off, the embarrassment in his voice is clear when he answers. "Y-yeah."

To say that Aria is stunned is a major understatement. Yakumo? Charming, gorgeous, funny, sweet, amazing Yakumo has never had sex before? She regards him in disbelief for a few more seconds, before dropping her fork, scooting up a little bit, placing a hand on his cheek and capturing his lips in another soft kiss.

When the kiss breaks, she rests her forehead against his and meets his eyes. "Well, I find that really hard to believe," she tells him honestly.

Yakumo laughs softly, breathlessly. "It's true, though. I'm not…" He pauses, then chuckles awkwardly. "I just… hadn't met the right girl yet."

Aria blinks, surprised. "_Hadn't_, huh?" she asks.

With a smirk, which quickly fades to a shy smile, Yakumo nods. "Yeah. That's why… when it happens, I want it to be _right_. Perfect, you know? Not just for me, but for you, too," he tells her.

Something in Aria's chest flutters softly. The words he's saying, the tone of his voice, the way he's looking at her right then; they all swirl around her like a pleasant cloud. She uses the hand on his cheek to push some of his hair behind his ear again and leans in for another kiss. It feels just as good as the others, and Aria feels it from her head to her toes.

When they finally break for air, Aria moves down to rest her head against his chest again. The pleasantly familiar sound of his heartbeat relaxes her even further, and she forgoes eating, for now, to just relax against him.

"You really are something else, you know that?" she intimates.

"Right back at you, Aria."

~

By the time Yakumo gets home, it's about two in the morning. He stayed with Aria at the clearing until about one, and then dropped her off at her door by one-thirty, and he took the long way home to just… enjoy the night and try to calm his mind from how close they'd gotten to having sex earlier.

As he walks up the stairs to his apartment, all the time spent calming his mind proves completely pointless. His mind cycles back to the way the skin of her breast felt against his hand, the way her eyes looked when she kissed him, the way it felt when she rocked her hips against his… He laughs. Ultimately, he knows that taking their time is the best idea for both of them. Still, he's positive that those memories and feelings will be on repeat in his mind for a while.

She wants him. _Him_, of _all_ people. No matter how many times he turns it over in his head, it doesn't make sense. Aria's the type of girl who can have any guy she wants with nothing but a smile, but somehow… she wants him.

Oh boy, does he want her, too. He wasn't lying when he told her how amazing she was. She's everything he's ever wanted in a girl, and at this point, he's absolutely positive that he loves her.

That's why things have to be different for her this time. He can't rush it. He can't let her live with doubts that she's worthy of his affection. He has to take everything that the Midos and the Rockys of the world have told her and shatter it. He has to be different, because she deserves it.

The smile on his face grows even more as he walks down the hallway to his apartment.

Just as quickly as his mood brightened, it comes back down to earth when the door to Emily's apartment opens and she steps out into the hallway, looking at him suspiciously. "There you are! God, I was _wondering_ when you were gonna get home. You're like… never home this late on a Thursday!"

"What're you doing awake, Em?" he asks, trying to keep his tone calm. "It's like… two in the morning."

Emily scoffs. "Could ask you the same thing, silly. Actually, I think I kinda did." She leans against the wall next to his apartment door.

Thinking back to the way Emily treated Aria on Tuesday, Yakumo realizes that it's definitely a bad idea to mention where he's been and who he's been with. It makes him somewhat sad, because for a long time, Emily was his friend. She still is, but the fact that she's jealous about his relationships with the Frey twins and Louis says a lot of things about her… and none of them are very good. 

He thinks back to what Louis said, how she doesn't like anyone who gets close to him, and frowns. "I had plans," he answers simply.

With a scowl, Emily's eyes narrow. "Oh. With what's her name?" she asks, waving her hand dismissively.

"_Aria_, Emily," Yakumo corrects, exasperation dripping from his tone as he fishes his keys from his pocket. "I know you remember her name."

Emily waves his correction off, too. "Right, her." She turns to Yakumo, then nods into the apartment. "You want to tell me what you were doing?"

Yakumo shakes his head. "Not really, no," he answers bluntly.

A small, hopeful smirk crosses Emily's face. "Wow, that bad, huh?"

With a frown. Yakumo shakes his head. "No. It was pretty great, actually. I just don't want to tell you about it." He unlocks his door and steps inside. For a few seconds, he considers closing the door and ending the conversation there, but all the years of friendship he's had with Emily won't allow him to do that. He holds the door open for her.

As she's stepping inside, Emily turns to him with a glare in her eyes. "Wow, you really _are_ different now. It's not a good look on you, you know? The rudeness?"

Yakumo doesn't dignify her with an answer. Instead, he heads into the kitchen and fills one glass, not two, with water. If Emily thinks he wants her to stay if she's going to be like _this_, she's sorely mistaken. He leans against the counter, gathering his remote from where he left it to turn the TV on and listen to the evening's hockey scores.

"So now you're not gonna answer me?" she scoffs.

With a frown, Yakumo shrugs. "I don't know what you want me to say, Emily." He takes a slow sip from his glass. "You think I've changed, but I haven't. Everything's the same, the only thing that's different is that I have more friends than just you and Riki and Miguel."

Emily huffs, annoyed. "Yeah, and this girl who's like… clinging to you and turning you into someone who completely _ignores_ those friends!" She rolls her eyes. "You know, I heard some rumors about her and her 'brother' around campus. Rocky Rosé told me that he's not even really a—"

Anger flashes in Yakumo's eyes. "Stop," he rumbles. "Don't even finish that sentence, Emily."

"What, are you afraid to hear the truth? He's not even a—"

Yakumo narrows his eyes. "Emily, I said stop," he repeats. "You're my friend. We've been friends for ages, but you can't hate every friend I make outside of you. If you're _really_ my friend, you'd be happy for me. That I've got friends like Louis and Rin and that I've got a girl like Aria who makes me happy. She makes me _happy_ Emily. _Really_ happy."

Emily rolls her eyes.

"I should've known something wasn't right when you said you didn't like Louis. _Louis_!" Yakumo crosses his arms at his chest. "He's a great person, and for some reason, you don't even like _him>_. And then I meet Rin and Aria and you immediately start trying to chase _her_ off, too? Don't think I didn't notice, Emily."

There's no shortage of haughty confidence in Emily's voice when she replies, "You didn't at first."

The tone, the _cruelty_ in Emily's voice takes Yakumo off guard. As soon as the surprise fades, it's replaced with sadness. "No, because I thought we were _friends_. I thought you'd be glad I was making new friends," he tells her. "I even started to wonder if you fed Riki and Miguel lies about me to make them stop hanging around with me."

"What? No! I didn't do that!" She shakes her head adamantly. "I like… told them you were a little _jealous_ that they're on the team and you're _not_, but I didn't _lie_."

Yakumo's eyes shoot open. "I'm not jealous, though! Why would you tell them that, when I told you explicitly that I'm _not_ jealous?" He pauses, then grunts in annoyance. "I told you multiple times, actually! Every time you mentioned that you thought I was jealous, I pointed out that I'm not."

Emily rolls her eyes. "Okay, Yakumo, you don't need to play the martyr, like you do with them. Not with me. I know you better than that." She crosses her arms and looks at him knowingly. "No one can be 'happy' for someone who has exactly what they want."

Frustration takes Yakumo's words at first. He stares at Emily in surprise, until he finally finds an answer. "Except, I _am_. So, apparently you don't know me as well as you thought."

Waving her hand toward the window, Emily rolls her eyes. "Oh, and _she_ does?"

Yakumo can't help but laugh. In a few short weeks, Aria _has_ managed to get to know him better than Emily, apparently. It's sad to think of, but at the same time, if these are Emily's true colors, maybe Louis was right, all those times he called her an anchor. He takes a drink from his glass of water, pours the rest out, and then turns to look at Emily.

Smiling in spite of himself, Yakumo nods. "Yeah. She does."

Emily sneers. "Ugh. Pathetic," she huffs.

"Alright, Emily, I'm done with this conversation," Yakumo tells her. "It's obvious that you don't know me as well as you think you do, and if you're going to go behind my back and tell people that you _think_ you do, I honestly don't think we're as good of friends as I thought we were."

"Oh, so it's gonna be like that? Some slut gives you the time of day, and suddenly I'm a thing of the past?"

Anger rises in place of frustration. "_Don't_ call her a slut," he demands.

"Fine, whatever. Good luck," Emily replies haughtily as she rolls her eyes and heads for the door. "If the rumors I've heard around campus are true, you're gonna need it. When she breaks your heart, _maybe_ I'll forgive you."

Yakumo turns his back on Emily, cleaning a nonexistent mess in his kitchen. "Goodbye, Emily."

As Emily closes the door, he sighs, the good mood Aria left him in almost completely shattered. It's sad to think that a friend who's been in his life since childhood actually turned out to be so two-faced, and turned into the anchor that Louis thought she was, but… maybe now that he's attended to the situation, he can be happy with his _real_ friends.

That starts tomorrow, with Rin's hormone therapy appointment. And then after that, he decides that he has to smooth things over with Riki and Miguel.

As Yakumo changes into his pajamas and crawls into bed, he thinks of Aria, and how happy she'd seemed when he told her how amazing she is. The thought of her smile chases the thoughts of Emily from his mind, and he smiles at his ceiling as he drifts toward sleep.

Even if it takes forever, he'll prove to her exactly how true it is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're so sweet together. ;_; If Aria wasn't already into him, that date would've done it.


	26. T-Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin has no business being up this early on a Friday morning, especially when he has no classes and his appointment is closer to noon. Yet, here he is, awake at an ungodly hour, face planted firmly into the cushions on the couch while he waits for Aria to finish prepping breakfast. He is at the pinnacle of his exhaustion, but excitable energy thrums beneath his skin knowing what today will bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're late because I'm a mess and life is hard. Sorry!

Rin has no business being up this early on a Friday morning, especially when he has no classes and his appointment is closer to noon. Yet, here he is, awake at an ungodly hour, face planted firmly into the cushions on the couch while he waits for Aria to finish prepping breakfast. He is at the pinnacle of his exhaustion, but excitable energy thrums beneath his skin knowing what today will bring. Despite that, he groans dramatically loud from the couch for the umpteenth time. He can hear Aria’s laughter from the kitchen.

“You know, we didn't  _ have _ to get up this early. I could've gone shopping alone.” She explains, her voice drawing close. Rin pokes his head from out of the couch cushions in time to smell the omelet and bacon from the plate that she brings him. She sets the orange juice on the coffee table as Rin situates himself properly and hands him his breakfast. “ _ But _ … this way you get to spend the  _ whole day _ with Louis.”

“I’m not complaining,” He comments, even though that is exactly what he was doing earlier. “I would’ve been tired regardless of what time I woke up.” He thanks her additionally for the meal and tears into his bacon.

“You’re lucky you’re so cute, Sunshine.” Aria muses. “At least in a few days you'll be an unstoppable ball of energy again.”

Rin hums in agreement around his omelet. “What time are the guys coming?” He asks around a mouthful of breakfast.

Aria takes a glance at her phone, scrolling through messages before she picks her plate up from the counter and rejoins Rin in the living room. “Yakumo said he just left, and that he's bringing coffee and picking Louis up on the way. So… soon?” She shrugs helpfully.

“I have to get dressed.” He scarfs down the rest of his meal and chugs his orange juice. He gasps for air when he’s done. “That was delicious, thank you.” He hastily drops the empty dishes into the sink and rushes up the stairs.

He can hear Aria’s laughter even on the second floor. “Are you sure you even tasted it?” she yells after him.

She joins him on the second floor once she’s finished eating. When Rin pokes his head into her room to see where she is, he finds her standing in front of her mirror, applying makeup. “Is there anywhere, in particular, you want to go today?” She asks the moment she catches sight of him.

“The art supply store! And maybe the music ship. We’re going to the mall right?”

“No, there's this cute little strip mall Yakumo and I passed last night on our way to the little clearing we had dinner at! It's got both those things, though, I think! Better than the ones at the mall, probably, 'cause they're bigger.”

As she speaks, Rin slips into a pair of comfortable, loose-fitting pants and struggles with his hoodie. Normally, he’d wear something a bit more put together when hanging out with Louis, but considering they’ll be heading straight to the doctor after their early shopping is done, Rin would rather be comfortable in his bandages than uncomfortable.

“Well, I guess that works,” He mutters under his breath, struggling to pull the sweater over his head. He manages at the last minute, and the momentum causes him to jerk backward, knocking into his dresser. Something falls with a loud  _ bang  _ and rolls off the dresser to the floor. “Son of a—” 

Aria is already by his doorway before he can finish cursing with her foundation half-blotted on. “You okay?” She asks worriedly.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just dropped something.” He grumbles, hoping whatever fell isn’t fragile. He spots the plastic cup and spilled sculpting tools on the floor. With a lazy sigh, he kicks the cup and the tools under his bed, reminding himself to pick it up later. He pulls his arms through his hoodie with a victorious  _ whoop.  _ “Finally, jeez!”

Aria returns to her room, laughing, just as the doorbell rings. “Think you can get it without slamming the door in their faces, Sunshine?” She calls teasingly.

“We’ll see about that,” He grins.

He rushes down the stairs and makes a beeline for the door. He pulls it open, letting it swing dangerously toward the wall, then leans against the doorframe, using his leg as a makeshift gate.

“What’s the password?” He asks, quirking an eyebrow at Yakumo and Louis.

Yakumo laughs. He glances at Louis and steps aside, saying, “Since you know the bouncer so well, I think you probably know the password better than I do.”

“Hang on, I’ll whisper it to you.” Louis easily leans into Rin’s personal space and kisses him tenderly on the lips. “Good morning, Beautiful.” 

Rin’s whole body flares up hotly. “Okay, you can come in.” He says, lowering his leg just enough to allow Louis entry, but just as Yakumo plans to move, Rin’s leg is back in place again. “What’s the password?” He smirks teasingly.

“If I kiss you on the lips it'll be awkward as fuck for everyone involved, Rin.” Yakumo chuckles, but then lifts a pastry bag he brought from the coffee shop. “How about chocolate chip muffins instead?”

Rin’s eyes widen with childlike glee. “Okay, you can come in, but you gotta pay the toll first.” He steps away from the door just as Louis laughs. He makes grabby hands for the muffins.

Yakumo hands him the pastry bag with a smile of his own. “One of those is for—” He turns toward the stairs. “Aria! Hey.”

“Morning,” She greets warmly. She stands on her tiptoes to give Yakumo a kiss on the cheek. “One of what is for me?”

Rin is already halfway through stuffing a muffin into his mouth when all eyes are suddenly on him again. “Mmf?” He asks looking between the three of them.

“I speak enough Rin to know what that means, but…” Aria turns to Louis, then leans into Yakumo as he wraps his arms around her middle. “Test time! What was that full-mouth Rinese for?”

Louis looks taken aback, but he recovers quickly with a laugh. “I’m going to guess ‘muffin’?”

“He can have both muffins, it's fine. We just ate before you guys got here.” She laughs. “Though I  _ will _ take that coffee.”

“You got it. One double espresso shot cold brew for the lady, one cinnamon dolce creme frap for the gentleman. And one monstrosity of coffee for me. Louis, here's your weird tea thing.” As Yakumo announces each drink, he hands them to their respective owners. He gives a laugh when Louis takes his green tea from Yakumo’s hands. 

“Thanks,” Louis says, taking a sip. He plucks cinnamon dolce creme frap from Rin’s hands when it becomes apparent Rin is too busy trying to devour the muffins, and then gestures toward the couch. “You don’t have to rush, Rin. We still have plenty of time before your appointment.”

“Mmmphhhrr!” Rin says through a mouthful of muffin.

“Please slow down,” Louis chuckles.

“Good luck with that, Lulu. Separating a Rin from his food is like separating a shark from its prey.” Aria smirks teasingly. Rin rolls his eyes but joins Louis on the couch. He gives her a pointed look as if to say ‘I can slow down if I want to!’ It makes her laugh. “Will wonders never cease. He slowed down.” 

With several big gulps of his drink, Rin can finally speak again. “Don’t worry about me, Louis. I can fit anything in my mouth without choking.”

Louis suddenly chokes on his tea. He coughs into his fist as his face turns a concerning shade of red.

“Are you okay?” Rin asks, watching him warily. 

“F-fine,” he manages around a cough.

“ _ Rin _ may be able to fit anything in his mouth without choking, but  _ Louis _ on the other hand.” She nudges Yakumo in the ribs. It does nothing to help Louis’ coughs.

Yakumo bursts into laughter. “C’mon, Ari, you’re gonna kill him.”

“It’s fine, Yakumo,” Louis says, clearing his throat, eyes wet with unshed tears. “I’m good at other things. Like  _ eating _ , for example.” He shrugs casually.

Aria just laughs.

Rin swipes the cream from inside of the cup with his finger and sucks on it. “Oh, speaking of choking,” He turns to Aria. “How are you gonna give Yakumo a blowy when he’s like… ginormous?”

For the second time in that minute, Louis chokes on his drink. Rin stares at him in concern.

Aria turns to look at Yakumo, her eyes shooting open and red quickly cascading over her face.

“I…  _ dude _ !” Yakumo cries. He tries several times to rebut, but nothing comes out. The best he can do is manage a sound that comes out as a cross between a whine and a groan.

In spite of Aria’s cheeks being a bright scarlet, she gives Rin a casual shrug. “It's okay. I'm good at suppressing my gag reflex,” she says coolly. 

Yakumo’s face matches the red of his hair, and all Rin can do is laugh. 

He finishes off his drink with on final slurp and slams the empty cup on the coffee table. “I’m ready to go!” He announces, bouncing on his feet. “Lets go, go, go!”

“So that's how it's gonna be, huh? J-just drop a tactical nuke on my brain and then usher me to the road.” Yakumo slides his arm around Aria's waist as they head for the door.

Louis sighs, though there’s an amused smile on his face. Aria takes a moment to pat Louis’ shoulder before they pass him, a smile gracing her own lips. 

“Sorry, that's what you signed on for when you decided to roll with us, Lulu.” She teases.

“I wasn’t complaining,” He chuckles.

* * *

The mini-mall Aria mentioned isn’t far from school campus, but it’s out of the way from the doctor’s office. They’ll have to catch a bus when their shopping spree is all said and done, but Rin is grateful he decided to wake up early with Aria for this. It's the perfect opportunity to grab everything he needs, and maybe a little extra, assuming the music shop on the strip has what he’s looking for. He’s brought just enough haze, and it only took him about three months of hardcore advertising and booking himself like crazy on commissions. Not only that, Karen’s money for the banner is a nice addition to his Aria’s Gift fund. To say Rin is excited is an understatement.

Rin walks a little further ahead of the group and spins around, walking backward as he addresses them. “Where should we go first? I think we’ve got plenty of time to hit up a few stores before catching the bus.” He grins excitedly. 

“Well, we can either go random places or we can section the whole strip mall off and go down the line.” Yakumo suggests, eyeing the store fronts in the strip mall.

“If you let me go into a candle shop, I will literally spend every penny I have to my name, so we should stay away from there.” Aria laughs.

Louis, who keeps eyeing the book store, turns to Rin. “You said you needed art supplies right? Let's go there first.”

Rin beams. “Okay! Here’s the plan: Art store, book store and then the music store. How’s that sound?”

“Like a plan!” Yakumo grins.

“Music store?” Aria asks, arching an eyebrow.

“What?”

Aria shrugs dismissively. “I was gonna skip it today, but if you want to go in, I guess we can.” She laughs and beckons for everyone to follow her to the art supply store. “I need a new fashion sketchbook anyway!”

Rin holds the door for the rest of them and watches as they file into the store. When Louis passes him, Rin takes that moment to hook their arms together, holding him back.

“I need a favor.” He smiles, violet eyes glimmering with hope. 

“You know I’m always willing to help you for anything, Rin.” Louis muses. 

“Distract them while I sneak into the music shop.”

Louis’ brows furrow in confusion. “Okay, but what exactly are you going to do in the music shop that require me to do that?”

“Aria’s been eyeing a particular type of guitar and I want to see if this place carries it. I saved just enough to buy it!” He beams.

“And you plan on buying it by yourself?”

“Yeah,” Rin nods. “She deserves it.”

“Let me help.” Before Rin can protest, Louis already has his wallet in his hand. He pulls out several bills from the wallet and tries to hand it to Rin.

“Louis, babe, I already have the money. You don’t need to help.”

“I  _ want  _ to help,” Louis insists. He gently takes Rin’s hand and wraps his fingers around the folded cash. “And even if you don’t use it, please buy something for yourself. I’ll distract Aria for you.”

Taking the money and pocketing it, Rin chuckles. “Okay, fine. I’ll buy lingerie.” He presses a teasing kiss to Louis’ cheek and playfully shoves him forward. “Distract her! But be cool about it! If they have it, I’ll have it delivered to the apartment and be back here before she notices.”

“O-okay,” Louis stammers. He clears his throat in an effort to act cool.

If Louis planned on saying anything else, Rin doesn’t hear. He’s already out the door before Louis rejoins the group, and sprints across the strip mall toward the music store on the other side. He stops just outside of the glass door, gathering his breath and coughing the coldness from his lungs. He steps inside. 

Rin hasn’t been to many music stores. Music isn’t his favorite pastime, but he's accompanied Aria from time to time if they were lucky enough to find one close to wherever their current foster home was at the time. The place is surprisingly massive, with guitars of all models hanging off the ceiling and other instruments on display against the wall. The middle of the store is decked out in rows and rows of alphabetized music CDs. Some rows are sectioned off with vinyl records while some displays carry old fashion cassettes. The rest of the store carries instruments of all kinds, and while Rin is half-tempted to take his time and browse, he knows he’s a man on a mission. 

It takes Rin far longer than he expects to finally find the guitar model of Aria’s dreams, and he hopes the ten minutes he spent just trying to  _ find  _ it isn’t ten minutes too long. He notes the price tag on the guitar and beams. He has enough, more than enough, honestly. All he needs to do is tell the cashier he’ll take it.

“You gonna get that for her?” Yakumo asks from a few feet behind Rin.

Rin jumps out of his skin, a barely restrained squeak escaping his lips. He whirls around, shooting Yakumo a horrified wide-eyed stare. “ _ Jesus fuck _ ! Yakumo! Why are you sneaking up on people?!”

“Sorry, didn't mean to scare you.” He laughs. “Seriously, though. Are you gonna get that for her? Louis told me what the plan was.”

“Yes, I’m getting it for her.” He huffs, willing his heart to stop racing. “And no, you’re totally not footing the bill.  _ I  _ have the haze.” He lifts his chin up proudly.

Yakumo chuckles softly. “Well… can I help, at least?”

“What are you offering?” Rin asks as he heads toward the register.

“A third of the cost.” Yakumo grins. “And the perfect idea of a gift for Louis that you can use the extra cash on.”

“Okay, sold. I already told Louis I’d use his money on lingerie.” Rin snickers impishly. “But more ideas wouldn’t hurt.”

Yakumo whips out his wallet and hands Rin the extra haze. “At the bookstore we're going to, there's this first edition book by A. J. Hanson that he's wanted for ages.” Yakumo explains. “You know Louis, though. Mr. Conscientious. I've tried to convince him to get it now and then, but he won't. Tried to  _ get _ it for him but he wouldn't take it. I think he'd take it from you, though.”

As Yakumo speaks, Rin takes the extra haze and combines it with the haze in his wallet. “Yeah, I figured. Aria’s the same way. And if she tries to do that with this, I’m disowning her. Sometimes you need to force your loved ones to see when they’re being stupid.” When he finally reaches the cashier, Rin gives her his best, most charming smile. “Hi! I’m really interested in purchasing the black Epiphone Hummingbird. I’ll pay it in cash and is it possible to have it delivered to my address?” 

After giving the cashier the necessary details, Rin counts the haze and hands it to the cashier. Upon grabbing the receipt, he turns to Yakumo with bright eyes. “Thanks, man.”

“You did most of it, dude. I just offered a third.” Yakumo smirks, but his smirk falters as they head for the door. “Hey. Did you, uh… mean what you said? About forcing your loved ones to do things they don't want to do?”

“That’s not what I said,” Rin states, opening the door and letting Yakumo past him. “What  _ you  _ said implies the complete opposite of what  _ my  _ intentions are.”

“Wh—  _ no _ , that's not what I mean, Rin.” Yakumo laughs. “You're right, though. You said 'forcing them to see when they're being stupid.' Do you think that applies to conversations they don't want to have, too?”

“If said conversation is something that relates to their stupidity, then yeah, I say so. Why?”

Yakumo is quiet for a few seconds like he's turning his options over in his head. “I'm just…” He shrugs, then glances sidelong at Rin. “Aria seems to be… I hate to say 'stuck in the past' but… unable to let go, I guess? Of some things. I think it's because… you guys haven't talked about them?”

Rin keeps his expression neutral, despite the memories lingering in the back of his mind. A sense of irritation wells up inside him, but he wills the feeling to fade away. He knows Yakumo isn’t intentionally trying to rile him up or ruin his good mood. He’s only asking a question, and while Rin thinks there are a bunch of  _ different  _ questions for Yakumo to ask, this one comes from an innocent, well-intentioned place.

“Yeah, I know,” He manages, after a brief moment of silence. “But talking about it is a waste of time. Believe me, I’ve tried. She likes to pretend nothing is wrong even when I know there is. She always tells me she can’t lie to me but the reality is she’s well versed in it by now. I learned the only way to do anything for her was just to go ahead and do it, and deal with the repercussions later.” He laughs humorlessly.

Quietly, as though he's afraid of crossing a line, Yakumo murmurs, “Is it really a waste of time if forcing it will help both of you move on, though?”

“I’ve already moved on,” Rin laughs. “It’s Aria who needs to.” Rin pushes the door to the art store open and holds it out for Yakumo.

“Hold on a sec.” He urges, beckoning Rin to stay with him outside. Once Rin returns to his side, Yakumo leans against the wall beside the art shop door. “I think… you need to take your own advice, dude.”

Rin sighs. “I told you, I’ve already tried. On numerous occasions for numerous different reasons. She didn’t want to tell me about her nightmares, didn’t felt the need to give me details about Rocky and still shoulders her anxiety. No matter  _ what  _ I do. I think I’m just not the right person to do it anymore. But…” He gives Yakumo a sly smirk. “ _ You  _ maybe.”

“No. I'm not, because I wasn't  _ there _ , Rin. I wasn't  _ there _ for all that shit, but you were.” He shrugs. “You don't think you're the right person to help her anymore, but I think you're wrong. I think… you're the only one who can. It just might take you forcing the issue.”

“I already told you that I tried,” Rin grumbles. “If she told you about our previous foster then that's already more progress than our twenty-two-years together.”

“The only reason she told me is because I brought it up. I lived with him, too.” He pauses then sighs. “I can tell I'm pissing you off. I don't want to push it with you, just like you don't want to push it with her. I just… wanted to give you my opinion. I think it'd be good for both of you because you're both worth the effort.”

“Yeah well, I didn’t  _ ask  _ for your opinion.” Rin snaps, heading for the door. “If you’re so worried then why don’t  _ you  _ push her. Unlike me,  _ you  _ will actually get somewhere.” He yanks the door open and marches inside.

“ _ There _ you are, I was starting to wonder if you'd run off to Canada or something.” Aria laughs, but then pauses when she sees the look on Rin's face. “What's wrong?”

“Fabric is so expensive these days.” He lies, then sighs dramatically in an effort to dispel the anger boiling in his veins. He plasters on a smile, hoping its genuine enough to keep Aria’s concerns from mounting. “Thank god I’m not a cosplayer. I got so distracted with the fabrics that I forgot to buy the sketchbook I wanted.”

Aria pulls a sketchbook from her bag and smiles. “Boom. Magic sister saw this coming from a mile away.” 

Yakumo re-enters the art supply store, trying to smile, but it falls short.

“Jeez, Canada is a popular location these days, isn't it?” She jokes, but the concern lining her eyes makes the joke fall short. “Must be that universal healthcare, huh?”

“Yeah, all those old hockey injuries are catching up to me.” Yakumo laughs halfheartedly. 

“Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah, why?” Rin asks before Yakumo has the chance to speak. “Are  _ you _ okay? Maybe you should take Canada up on their universal healthcare.” He laughs and takes the sketchbook from Aria. “Thank you, Ari.” He gives her a kiss on her forehead, cradling his new sketchbook.

“Anything else you need here? You didn't get a chance to shop.” She asks.

Rin catches sight of Louis and Yakumo leaving the store before answering, “Nah, I just wanted the sketchbook!” He beams happily.

“Okay, let's go then! Bookstore is next, right?” She links arms with Rin.

“Yep!” He chirps, keeping his smile bright.

* * *

As the twins head for the bookstore, which is only a few stores past the art shop, Louis trails alongside a somber-looking Yakumo.

“What happened?” Louis asks the moment he’s caught up to Yakumo.

Yakumo laughs humorlessly. “That obvious, huh?” He looks forward at the twins, who are chattering away in the most convincing display of fakeness either of them has ever seen in their lives. “You know that's about… 50% real happiness, right?”

“I’m aware,” Louis answers dully, eyeing the twins. “It’s obvious when you get to know them better.”

“Rin's pissed off at me.” Yakumo laughs again. “I tried to… convince him to talk to her. About whatever's going on, you know? Because it's internal, between them. I probably should've known better.”

Louis nods slowly. “So that’s what happened. You pressed a sore spot and he lashed out.”

Yakumo grimaces. “It's not like I  _ meant _ to. I just… Aria's told me some things. Things she still carries with her and things  _ we _ can't help them with. They have to do it, and they're not.”

“I’ve been trying to think of ways to bring it up to him,” Louis sighs. “It’s a delicate topic. Especially since  _ he  _ hasn’t told me anything.”

“But… she did?” 

“She didn’t provide details, but the implication was enough,” Louis explains coolly.

Yakumo sighs. “She didn't really tell me details either, but… she  _ found _ him, Louis. She was the one who brought him back, so to speak. And I don't think they've talked about it since.”

“Not one bit, I imagine.” Louis murmurs, shaking his head lightly. “And I have no idea how to help with that. It’s not something we can just bring up in casual conversation.”

“And trying to get Rin to talk to her… you don't want to try that, trust me.” Yakumo shakes his head and laughs humorlessly again. 

“That, bad huh?” 

“‘ _ If you’re so worried then why don’t you push her. Unlike me, you will actually get somewhere _ .'" Yakumo looks down at the pavement, grim-faced. “Direct quote. Then he stormed inside.”

“Yikes.”

“I get it, though. It really wasn't my place. Shouldn't have offered my opinion when it wasn't asked for.” He shrugs. “Just thought I could help, I guess.”

Louis sighs. “Still, I know you meant well. And I agree with you, I think this is something they need to discuss but... It looks like they’re both too stubborn for their own good.”

“Not even stubborn. Just… afraid of hurting each other, I think.” Yakumo watches Aria, who laughs genuinely along with something Rin is saying, and then turns back to Louis. “For Aria, I think… this is just my  _ opinion _ , but I think she's afraid of picking open old scabs.”

“I imagine so. If she was  _ there _ … it’s not something she’d want to relive again.”

“I was hoping you'd have all the answers.” Yakumo laughs. It sounds helpless in Louis’ ears. “You're the smart one.”

“I can’t help when I don’t know.” Louis sighs again, feeling resigned. “Rin doesn’t talk about these things when it's just the two of us.”

“Well… I asked Rin. Maybe you could ask Aria? She's not as… quick to anger, I guess… as Rin is?”

Louis nods slowly, almost thoughtfully. “Will you be okay with Rin? Since you’ve managed to anger him.” He smirks in spite of himself. “ I get the feeling Rin won’t leave me alone long enough to talk to her.”

“Yeah. I can apologize.” Yakumo frowns. “Or… try to, at least.”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks.” He laughs awkwardly. “I'll need it. Let's just hope I don't fuck it up more somehow.”

* * *

The procedure doesn’t take long, and as quickly as RIn goes in, he’s already making his way out of the patient room and into the waiting room. His left hip feels weird, the local anesthesia still in effect, but Rin knows he’ll feel the bruising later when his muscle finally wakes up and decides it needs to tell Rin that it exists. Still, he’s tired and worn from such an emotionally exhausting and physically taxing day. He’s looking forward to going back home and relaxing, especially since Aria plans on making his favorite dinner tonight. He’s  _ also  _ looking forward to whooping ass in whatever video game they plan on playing with him, but that knowledge he keeps to himself. 

When they make it back to the apartment, Rin drags his body to the couch and sprawls on it, a happy sound escaping his lips.

“Home!!!” He cheers. He glances at the clock on the wall, mentally counting down the hours he still needs to wait until Aria’s present arrives. According to the cashier, his gift won’t arrive until close to six.

“Home and famished,” Aria smiles, already heading toward the kitchen. “Tacos, right?”

“Yes please!” Rin beams. “And hold the veggies!”

She laughs. “Or serve them to everyone but you.” After a pause, she glances at Louis. “And you, Mr. Secretly Picky, right Louis?”

“Depends,” Louis grins. “I’m fine with spinach.”

“Well, how about instead of directing from the living room like a certain someone, you could come to help me cook?” She puts her hand on her hip like she thinks she's calling Louis' bluff.

Rin immediately latches himself onto Louis’ arm and settles Aria with a wide, puppy-eyed look. “But Ari! We were gonna cuddle!”

“It's okay, I can help her,” Yakumo explains, chuckling awkwardly.

Louis shakes his head. “No, it’s fine. I’ll do it.” He leans into Rin’s ear and whispers, “We’ll cuddle later, I promise.” He presses a tender kiss to Rin’s head and slips his hand out of Rin’s grasp. He follows Aria into the kitchen.

“I mean, I can help too!” Rin calls after them, but it's not them who responds.

“Actually… I kinda wanted to talk to you for a sec.” Yakumo smiles sadly at Rin, and when he speaks up, his voice is quieter. “If you don't mind.”

Rin keeps his eyes away from Yakumo. He lowers his voice, glancing toward Aria and Louis in the kitchen to make sure they’re out of earshot. “If you’re going to bring  _ that  _ up again, I don’t want to hear it.”

“I wasn’t,” Yakumo insists. “I was actually gonna say… I'm sorry, alright?” When Rin turns his way, he finds Yakumo’s attention focused solely on the coffee table. “I get why you got pissed. I overstepped. I just wanted to help, that's all. Because you guys are my friends and I care about you.”

“I appreciate your concern, Yakumo. I really, really do. It makes me feel relieved that my sister is in such great hands, but don’t bring it up again, okay? I’m sorry for being a shit, I just… don’t want to deal with it. So… thank you.”

Yakumo's face is hard to read, but Rin can tell he’s upset. It makes guilt well up inside his chest knowing he’s responsible for Yakumo’s sour mood. “I won’t.” He promises.

Rin smiles appreciatively. “Thanks, man.” 

There's still no trace of a smile on Yakumo's face, not that Rin expects one. His brow is furrowed in frustration, and when he turns to look at Rin, Rin can see how Yakumo is barely hanging on. 

“If your sister asks where I am, tell her I went to get some air.” Without another word, he leaves.

Rin’s smile sours. He waits a minute. Then another, and then another. With a frustrated huff, he quietly exits the apartment. He finds Yakumo around the side of the apartment, sitting on the ground, gazing up at the starry night sky.

“Look,” He starts, voice steady, yet hard. “I get that you’re angry, and I’m  _ sorry _ , but it’s not a big deal.”

Yakumo turns his attention toward Rin, shakes his head and then stares back up at the sky. “No. It’s a way bigger deal than you think, actually.” 

Rin throws up his hands in frustration. He doesn’t understand what everyone’s problem is; why they keep trying to force him to rehash a past long forgotten. “Why is this such a…” He shakes his head, stopping himself. He runs a shaky hand through his hair. “I don’t understand what the problem is. I already  _ told  _ you what happens when I try.  _ You  _ have a better advantage at helping her than I ever could, Yakumo. Regardless of whether or not you were 'there.'” 

“So that’s why you ‘don’t want to deal with’ her, then?”

“That’s  _ not  _ what I said, and you know it, Yakumo.” Rin growls, irritation crawling up his spine again. 

“No, but that's how it sounded. You don't want to deal with it, because she resists you, right?” His voice is still calm, but his face shows his anger clearly.

Rin doesn’t respond, but he watches Yakumo warily, wondering if there’s a limit to Yakumo’s patience with him. He doesn’t think Yakumo will do anything to hurt him, but Rin has long since grown used to people doing unsuspecting things to him. The last time someone faced him with such anger, it didn’t end well.

As if sensing Rin’s discomfort, Yakumo sighs heavily. “Rin, I wasn't going to bring it up again. I told you I wasn't, and I meant it. I just… you guys are my friends like I said. I care about you more than I've cared about almost anyone else in my life. So, I see you talking to each other like nothing's wrong when you're  _ both _ hurting; when you're lying to each other and pretending to be happy, and it feels like…” 

Yakumo stops, scratching his scalp and turning his gaze to Rin again before continuing. “Aria loves you more than anyone else in the world, Rin. She's not 'in my hands' because she's still your sister and I know for a fact that she'd sooner burn up from the inside out than be the reason you're in pain or upset or whatever. You  _ both _ deserve to have that happiness, that love you guys show each other, be 100% real. None of that should be fake. And that can't come from me. It can't come from Louis, it can't come from  _ anyone _ else. It's gotta come from you guys.”

Rin breaks eye contact, feeling immensely tired again. It’s the same bone-deep weariness from a few days ago. It’s one step closer to the edge, but not quite close enough for Rin to say  _ fuck it all  _ and sleep for the rest of the day.

“I get that you don't want to push her,” Yakumo continues. “because  _ you _ don't want to hurt  _ her _ in the same way  _ she _ doesn't want to hurt  _ you _ . But…” Yakumo gets up, approaches Rin, and puts a hand on each of his shoulders. “I think it's hurting both of you more to lie to each other than it would if you were honest.”

Rin releases a heavy, somewhat wheezy sigh. He feels the pressure building in his chest, but it's still easy to ignore. He doesn't think he’ll need his inhaler. Not yet. Not if he can calm himself down enough before going back inside.

“I’m sorry,” He manages to say.

“Don’t be.” When Yakumo smiles, it’s a lot more genuine this time. He releases a gentle chuckle before pulling Rin in for a hug. “You guys are worth it.”

Rin returns the hug, though he says nothing more.

“So, on a scale of 1-10, how much do you hate me how?” Yakumo jokes though he looks genuinely concerned.

“Not enough to be worrisome,” Rin laughs. It sounds breathless even to his own ears.

“It doesn't have to be now. You know that, right?” Yakumo releases Rin from the hug. “I just… wanted to put it out there.”

“Yeah… I know. Thanks, Yakumo.”

Without dropping his arm from Rin's shoulders, Yakumo turns his head to face Rin, his expression contorted in concern. "Are you okay, dude? You've been sort of wheezy…"

“My asthma's been acting up,” Rin explains. “I have an inhaler. Don’t worry about it.” He smiles reassuringly.

Though concern still lines Yakumo's eyes, he nods once. "Alright," he concedes, using his arm around Rin's shoulders to guide him back into the apartment. "Then why don't we go get some damn tacos, huh?"

“Sounds good to me!”


	27. The Shit Hits the Fan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Though she shrugs, she doesn't look up and meet Louis' eye. "Happier than I've been in a long time. Maybe ever. Why?" she asks._
> 
> _Louis' voice is even when he replies. "Because I get the feeling neither of you are really happy," he tells her._
> 
> _Aria's eyes are wide with surprise when she finally turns to look at Louis. "I'm not sure what you mean?" She laughs awkwardly. "I mean… since you and Yakumo showed up, things have been really great, you know? We have _friends_. It's weird, but it's good."_
> 
> _"Friends are only a bandaid on a bigger wound, Aria," Louis tells her gently. "The funny thing about friends is… the good ones are the ones who see right through the charade." A smirk creeps across his face._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **CW/TW: Mentions of past suicide attempts.**

"Here I was hoping that you could help me convince Rin to be less picky. There goes that plan"

No matter how many times Aria cooks, she always finds herself around picky eaters. Rin is the worst of the bunch. She knows of exactly six vegetables that he'll eat without protest. She muses to herself as she prepares the lettuce for their meal, that there's no way possible that Louis can be as bad as Rin when it comes to pickiness. Even beyond vegetables, he's picky about fruits and proteins and even some _meats_, so Rin will unquestionably have him beat.

Aria glides her knife along the cutting board, happily shredding lettuce for her and Yakumo—and possibly Louis, depending on his stance on lettuce—to put into their tacos. She knows Rin won't touch the stuff, or the tomatoes. She _is_ curious to see how deep Louis' pickiness runs, though. With a smirk, she turns to her friend and then gestures back down to the cutting board.

"Okay, here's the plan. We're doin' this buffet-style, Louis." Aria sets the knife down, gathers her stepstool, and climbs up to gather a stack of bowls from the top shelf of the cupboard. "That way, I can see how picky you really are. This is important info I've gotta log away from future dinners, after all."

Louis chuckles softly. "I believe you’ll find that I’m much more manageable than Rin is." He plucks a cut tomato from the bowl and eats it happily, as if to accentuate his point.

Aria gasps dramatically. "So you are. You eat tomatoes. I take that as a promising sign." She hands Louis the bowls. "Can you put all the different stuff in these while I finish the meat up?"

Louis scoops the chopped vegetables into their respective bowls and wipes down the cutting board when he’s done. He looks contemplative.

The silence is heavy, and Aria finds herself wondering if something is wrong. She turns to glance at Louis, then pauses. The contemplation in his eyes takes her off guard. "What's the deal, banana peel?" she asks with a gentle smile. "Anything I can help with?"

"This is going to sound like it's coming out of nowhere but: are you happy, Aria?"

Aria stops, then turns fully toward him in surprise. She laughs awkwardly. "You're right, that _does_ sound like it's coming out of nowhere."

She pauses, then turns to look at the taco meat simmering on the stove. She idly stirs it, even though she doesn't necessarily need to. The question is loaded. She is, for all intents and purposes, happier than she's ever been in her life. All the things that aren't making her happy are selfish. Things that don't involve her. Things that she shouldn't be dwelling on after however many years.

_If Rin can let them go, why can't I?_ Her mind taunts her for the hundred thousandth time.

Though she shrugs, she doesn't look up and meet Louis' eye. "Happier than I've been in a long time. Maybe ever. Why?" she asks.

Louis' voice is even when he replies. "Because I get the feeling neither of you are really happy," he tells her.

Aria's eyes are wide with surprise when she finally turns to look at Louis. "I'm not sure what you mean?" She laughs awkwardly. "I mean… since you and Yakumo showed up, things have been really great, you know? We have _friends_. It's weird, but it's good."

"Friends are only a bandaid on a bigger wound, Aria," Louis tells her gently. "The funny thing about friends is… the good ones are the ones who see right through the charade." A smirk creeps across his face.

Huffing a breath of surprised laughter, Aria shrugs. "Guess I should've seen that coming, huh?" She turns her back again, and starts stirring the food aimlessly. "I mean, if you see through it, do I really need to tell you?"

In a serious voice, Louis answers, "Yes, because sometimes, you need to hear it out loud. In your own words."

This time, Aria's puff of breath is very much not laughter. She's annoyed. Not with Louis, not with Rin… with herself for being unable to keep her emotions from her face. "I wasn't lying. Not fully. I _am_ happier than I've ever been before, and I meant that." She shrugs. "There are just some things… some things I don't want to address. Some things I _can't_ address."

"I know, and I believe you, but those things? They won’t go away until they _are_ addressed. Even if it's difficult," Louis tells her.

Aria shakes her head. "I can't. I… shouldn't." She grips the spatula tighter. "It's not… it wouldn't be fair."

In a voice that almost _annoys_ Aria with how level it is, Louis asks, "What’s not fair?"

With a sigh, Aria sets the spatula down and turns the stove off. "It's selfish. It's not fair of _me_ to feel upset when I've been through about one-_millionth_ of what he's been through," she tells him, struggling to keep her tone level.

"And it’s not fair for _you_ to decide your experiences aren’t worth the same as his," Louis counters. "You suffered too, Aria. Still are suffering by not addressing this."

Aria's eyes narrow against her volition. "For all I know, so is he. And then I bring it up and all of a sudden he's right back in that state. What'll we do then?"

Calmly, Louis tells her, "We deal with it. Together."

With a frown, Aria keeps her back turned from Louis when she answers. "And then I have to deal with being responsible for bringing it back out. I'm supposed to _protect_ him, Louis," she points out.

"You’re only hurting yourself by doing this, Aria," Louis tells her. "And the more you two pretend like nothing is wrong, the quicker you’ll be right back where you guys were before."

Emotion drains from Aria's tone, and she looks down at the countertop. "Saying it has just as much chance of sending him back there, Louis. I don't know what you want from me. Either way, I hurt him," she mutters miserably.

Louis sighs. "Keeping your feelings from him is hurting him now, Aria," he explains. "You’re both hurting. And it won’t stop until one of you faces the truth."

"I just can't help but feel like…" She pauses and sighs. "It's selfish. Don't you think? For me to feel this way?"

"No. It isn’t. It’s how you feel."

Aria turns and meets Louis' eye again, before moving around the kitchen to finish putting dinner together. "I… I'll think about it. I don't know. It's a lot, you know? A lot to let go of. Especially since…" She sighs and gathers the tortilla shells from the cupboard. "I'll think about it."

That she can definitely promise him. In fact, as she heats up several tortillas, even as Rin and Yakumo come back in from outside and settle into an easy conversation—even as she calls everyone for dinner—it's all she _can_ think about.

Yakumo notices something wrong almost immediately. He puts his arm around her waist and kisses the side of her head, telling her that everything will be okay, even without knowing what's going on in her mind. She wants to take the comfort for what it is, because it genuinely means a lot to her. His words are gentle and kind, and his touch is as comforting as it always is, but a tempest of worry rages inside Aria's mind.

But she can't.

Has she really been hurting Rin for the past six years, just by trying to protect him? Have her attempts to shield him from their past really been failing so miserably?

Aria brings Rin's plate—three tacos, no vegetables, extra cheese, just like always—to him and flashes him the best smile she can muster. "Three Sunshine Specials, for the Sunshine of my life," she announces as she deposits the plate in his hands.

With a smile that _almost_ seems genuine, Rin says, "Thank you Ari!" He takes his first bite into a taco and she watches as he sinks into the couch.

Yakumo walks into the living room with his own plate of food. "Wow, I've never seen such an intense reaction to a taco before."

"Aria’s tacos are orgasmic," Rin announces, before he takes another bite and has the same melty reaction.

Aria sits on the floor in front of Yakumo's chair, and leans back. "Obligatory comment about how naughty this conversation sounds." She smirks, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes.

"Only naughty if I drag Louis into it," Rin declares around a mouthful of food.

Louis chuckles warmly. "It’s already naughty, Rin. You say it for that very reason," he muses.

It seems that Yakumo senses the tension in Aria's posture, so he flashes his easy smile and immediately tries to distract everyone. "So. Why don't we do the whole video game thing we had planned?" he asks. "After dinner, anyway. I can't foresee the food on Rin's plate lasting any more than twenty more seconds at the rate he's going, and mine's probably not gonna last much longer. We can start the tournament while the slow eaters—"

"—aka the ones who won't give themselves indigestion—" Aria interjects.

Yakumo laughs. "Right, that. While the _slow eaters_ finish their meals," he repeats.

To Aria's complete lack of surprise, Rin is already halfway through his meal. "What do you guys want to play?" he asks.

With a pensive hum, Yakumo shrugs. "Well, yesterday you were bragging about how you're unbeatable at Mario Kart. I'd like to see you put your money where your mouth is," he challenges with a smirk.

"Challenge accepted," Rin declares.

The fact that Aria can't focus on anything but her own thoughts is only serving to make her feel guiltier. She watches blankly as Yakumo and Rin set the Switch up, and exchanges a look with Louis, before once again trying to bury her thoughts.

For six years, she's successfully buried these thoughts and worries underneath a mountain of guilt. All of a sudden, after two conversations with Yakumo and one mention from Louis, she's mere seconds away from exploding at the seams and letting everything flood out onto the living room floor. She knows it's going to be a hard conversation, and she really doesn't want to ruin Rin's day. This is his T day. It's a day that's always supposed to be about him.

Every time, ever since his first dose, Aria has made the day all about him. Cooked his favorite foods, played his favorite games, strove to make every single one just as special and fun as the last. Now, thanks to an idle conversation with Louis—one that she was planning on dismissing for the rest of the day, at least—she's on the verge of even more selfishness.

She huffs, sets her plate on the coffee table, and heads for the stairs. "I'll be right back." Though she's trying to be nonchalant, she knows she's failing.

Aria heads up the stairs quickly, not bothering to see if anyone followed her. As she steps into her room, she leaves the door open behind her and approaches the mirror. Just a few seconds, just a few seconds to train her face into her normal smile, and then she'll be fine.

"It's no big deal," she tells her reflection. "It's not a big deal, you don't have to talk to him about it right now. Not with them here. Today's his day, and it's supposed to be happy." She trains her face into a smile and pushes her hair behind her ear.

A knock on the door jumps her practically out of her skin. The voice that follows eases the tension almost immediately. "You okay, Heartbreaker?" Yakumo asks.

Aria looks at Yakumo with wide eyes for a few seconds, then nods. "Um… yeah, I'm good, I just—"

"No you're not," Yakumo tells her as he comes into the room. He approaches her calmly and places his hands on either side of her middle. "You were talking to yourself in the mirror, Aria."

With a humorless laugh, Aria shrugs. "A pep talk. Everyone needs one once in a while, right?"

The smile on Yakumo's face isn't one of his normal once. His eyes are concerned, and there's tension in the corners of his mouth. "Not when they're okay," he points out as he pulls her close and hugs her. "You wanna talk about what's bothering you?"

"Not really," she murmurs in a muffled voice as she buries her face in his chest. "I don't want to talk about _anything_… but I've been told I should."

Yakumo smooths his hand along her back. "Louis, huh?"

Snorting a humorless laugh, Aria murmurs, "Good guess." She raises her head and looks up at him.

"An educated one," he tells her with a nervous smile. "So, he talked to you, huh?"

Aria nods glumly. "He thinks I should talk to Rin. That the stuff I keep from him is hurting him." She shrugs and leans her head against his chest again. "And yeah, maybe it is, but I don't think telling him will be any better."

The frustration in her voice increases the volume, but not enough to be heard from the ground floor. "What am I supposed to _do_? Am I supposed to make that horrible… _really_ horrible thing that happened to him all about me? Because it's not, and it's selfish of me to even think of it that w—"

"No it's not," Yakumo insists. He pulls back from the embrace, takes her hands, and looks her dead in the eyes. "He's not the only one who was hurt, you know?"

Aria averts her eyes. "Maybe," she dismisses. "But he _was_ hurt, and I didn't talk to him when _he_ was hurt. I waited until _I_ couldn't take it anymore. If that's not selfish—"

"You didn't do it to hurt him, did you?"

With a scoff, she snaps her gaze back to him with eyes narrowed. "Of course not!" she shakes her head.

Yakumo glides his thumb along her cheek. "Then it's not selfish. But he needs to know, and… and I think _you_ need to know how _he_ feels, too." He tucks her hair behind her ear again. "He loves you, and you love him. You're both stronger than you're giving each other credit for, I think, and I think the longer you sit here and pretend everything's fine, the more strain you're putting on that love."

"What're you saying?" Aria asks, her eyes shooting open in surprise. "Are you saying that—"

Wincing, Yakumo cuts her off with a shake of his head. "I'm _saying_ that these things have a way of coming out in the ugliest way possible if you leave them alone. I don't want that to happen to you guys. You deserve better than that," he explains.

Aria is quiet as she considers his words. The ugliest way possible. Straining the love that she and Rin feel for each other. She considers the implications behind what he's saying and swallows thickly. A world where Rin isn't her best friend, her partner in crime, the yin to her yang… is not a world she wants to live in. If things do fester for a long time, if they do get to a point where the only way resolution can come is through fighting… Aria is sure she won't be able to handle that.

She swallows, steps forward again, and buries her face against Yakumo's chest. "Can you go get him for me? Please?" she asks, her voice muffled against his chest.

Yakumo pulls out of the hug, leans in, and presses a chaste kiss to her lips. "Of course. Louis and I will stay downstairs, okay? We'll be here when it's all over." He smiles and kisses her again.

Aria clings to him for a few seconds longer, before finally letting him go. Once he's gone, and she can hear his footsteps bounding down the stairs, Aria turns toward her bed. She straightens the blankets to occupy herself, to keep her mind from trying to talk herself out of the idea.

She tidies up several other small things around the room—her pile of dirty laundry, her box of guitar picks, her fabric swatches from her bedside table—and then sits on her bed, straightening her skirt and waiting for Rin to show up.

"It's okay," Aria says to herself. "It's okay, it'll be okay."

A second familiar voice echoes through Aria's room and jumps her out of her skin.

"What’s up?" Rin asks.

Aria blinks at Rin and then averts her eyes nervously to the floor. "Um… c'mon in. Have a seat, okay?" She tries to smile.

It's too quiet when Rin sits next to her on the bed. "What’s going on?" he asks again.

She wracks her brain for something to say. "I… I'm not… I'm…" She shakes her head sharply, then turns to look at him. "Do… do you ever think about—"

With a frustrated groan, Aria smooths her hand through her hair. She knew this wasn't going to be easy, but she never expected it to feel like this. How in the hell is she supposed to bring this up? When Louis and Yakumo encouraged her to speak up… she's willing to bet that they hadn't considered how she was supposed to start it.

"Our past." She finally finishes the sentence, though she immediately wants to shove the words back in. "Do you ever think about it?"

Rin's tone is cautious when he replies. "Yeah, sometimes."

She turns her head away, focusing on her hands where they rest on her lap. "What…" She pauses. "What do you think about?"

"I don’t know. It varies. I try not to dwell too much on it these days," he answers.

That gives her pause. He tries not to dwell on it. Aria frowns and nods her head in understanding as she steeples her thumbs and taps them together. She heaves a slow sigh. If he doesn't think about it, if he's past the point that he dwells on it, maybe Louis and Yakumo were wrong. Maybe he isn't hurting. She clears her throat and pushes some of her hair behind her ear.

With a mirthless smile, Aria nods. "That's good. I'm… I'm glad you don't dwell on it anymore."

"I know you do though."

The comment takes her off guard, and she lifts her head to look back at him again.. "Huh?" She blinks in surprise.

Rin's eyes are trained on the ceiling. "The past. The whole thing with Rocky and Mido. I know that still bothers you."

Aria sighs softly. "I…" she stammers. "Yeah, but also no. They're… yeah they bother me _sometimes_, but they're… "

She looks him over carefully, watching his face as she says her next words. The sentence is carefully constructed. A hint toward what really bothers her the most. Rocky and Mido _are_ specters from her past, and they'll _always_ bother her, but the real thing that haunts her the most… the thing that provides her with her most potent and vivid nightmares… is that afternoon.

The afternoon she almost lost him.

"They're not as nearly important to me as you are, Sunshine," she tells him simply.

Rin finally turns to her, a warm smile on his face. "I know that," he reassures her.

Swallowing thickly, Aria shakes her head. "No… no, that's not what I…" She pauses and huffs. "I mean, that _is_ true, but this time it's not… it's not what I mean."

Curiosity lines Rin's features, and he tilts his head. "Then what do you mean?" he asks.

Aria swallows again. "I mean… Rocky and Mido are definitely a part of my past I don't think I can escape. They're… they're definitely frequent stars in my nightmares," she confesses. "But do you know what I have nightmares about the _most_?"

The interest Rin displays takes her by surprise, and also makes her a little uncomfortable. "What?" he asks.

In the face of his intrigue, Aria almost balks, but she forces herself to continue. "Losing you," she tells him. "Y-you drowning."

The words come out somewhat strangled; tense. Nervous. She struggles, naturally. Not only for the obvious reasons, but because she's fully aware that as soon the words register to Rin, there will be no turning back. The conversation is happening and everything will end up out in the open. She doesn't look his way, doesn't say anything else, just waits. Waits to see how he reacts.

"Oh," he mutters, turning to look away.

Barely above a whisper, Aria says, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Rin asks impassively.

Aria turns toward him sadly. "For everything, I guess? For not bringing it up before. For bringing it up now." She pauses, smoothing her hand through her hair. "Timing's never been my strong suit."

Rin huffs out a humorless laugh. "I’ll say."

The frown on Aria's face draws lower. "I just…" She struggles again, stammers a few more times unintelligibly, like she's trying to come up with something to say. It's annoying. She's thought about saying something a million times, but now that the moment is in front of her, she can't find the words. "We never talked about it, you know? We sort of… we brushed it under the rug like we wanted to pretend it never happened, but… but it did happen."

In lieu of words, Rin plays with a loose strand on Aria's comforter.

"I just… I know I have no right to bring it up. Not now. I just can't help it," Aria explains, her voice pleading for an apology she knows she doesn't deserve. "I had so many questions, so many things I wondered back then but I was willing to go with it, you know? To do whatever you needed me to do, and if that was just… going back to normal? Then that was fine. I thought so, anyway."

She stops short, then shakes her head. "But it's not fine. _We're_ not fine, Rin."

Rin snorts incredulously. "Why? Because _Yakumo_ thinks we’re not?" he grumbles.

Aria turns to look at him in surprise, which quickly morphs into incredulity at the accusation. "_What_? No… because I don't think we've _ever_ been fine!" she insists. "I've felt like this since before… way before they came along. I know you have, too."

There's no shortage of bitterness in Rin's eyes now. "You were perfectly content with pretending everything was fine before then," he replies, his tone matching his face. "Even when it happened. Now you’re saying it’s not. I thought you were hurt about what happened in high school. Not _that_."

"I've never been okay with pretending everything was fine," she tells him plainly.

Rin rises from the bed. "That’s bullshit and you know it."

Aria stays seated, but she shakes her head adamantly. "No. It's _not_ bullshit. I've never once been okay with pretending everything was fine, Rin. I've always wondered, always had questions, but…" She stops, swallowing nervously and turning her eyes away from him. "But I didn't ask them."

For a few seconds, Aria genuinely worries that Rin is going to leave. He leans against her doorway, looking everywhere but at her, and he just looks so… _angry_. Aria feels her stomach turn all of a sudden.

"Then ask them," Rin snaps.

Desperately, Aria keeps her eyes on him, prepared to chase him if he leaves. "Can… can you come back in here? Please?" she asks.

Rin rejoins her on the bed, but he still refuses to look at her.

Aria stands up, pulls her computer chair over, and sits in front of him, craning her neck and forcing herself into his line of sight. "Why?" she asks plainly, knowing he'll understand.

The look on Rin's face is almost enough to make her put the brakes on. His eyes are hard and his brows are furrowed, and she _hates_ that the look is aimed at her. She _hates_ it. Even so, she doesn't back away. As much as she wants to, as much as her heart is _screaming_ for her to look away, to put an end to this, to _stop hurting Rin_ (because she's not _supposed_ to hurt him, she's supposed to be the one who _heals_ his hurt and she's being _such a selfish bitch_)... she knows she can't turn back now.

"To make it stop," he answers simply.

She chokes on a sudden lump in her throat. In a croaky voice, she says, "Oh." She presses her lips together, then puts her hands on his, desperately trying to keep her cool. "Did… did anything happen that day? Or…"

He breaks eye contact, retracting his hand from hers. “I… I don’t remember,” he murmurs.

Aria frowns. He's lying, that much is for sure. She presses her lips together, then puts her hand on his cheek, turning his head and trying to force eye contact. "Sunshine, tell me the truth."

“That _is_ the truth.” He insists. 

She shakes her head. "It isn't, or else you'd be able to look me in the eyes when you said it."

Rin meets her gaze again, eyes hard. “I. Don’t. _Remember_.”

The look on his face is honestly frightening, and she recoils slightly in the face of it. She drops her hands and nods. "O-okay…" she stammers, then bites her lip nervously. "D-did it ever happen again?"

Once again, Rin breaks eye contact, and the frown on his face deepens. "Don't ask what you don't want to hear," he tells her.

Aria keeps her hands at her sides, as much as she wants to reach out and touch him, to give him comfort—or maybe to seek it for herself—and she shakes her head. "If I didn't want to hear, I wouldn't ask," she promises.

"Then you already know what the answer is," Rin says flatly.

Tears spring to Aria's eyes, but she _refuses_ to listen to the voice in her head that tells her to stop this. She wants to. She _really_ wants to, probably as much as _Rin_ wants her to. She doesn't. She won't.

"When?" she asks, her tone shaky.

Voice still sharp, Rin asks, "Is that _really_ important?"

"_Please_, Rin," Aria pleads, her voice creaking in her desperation.

Rin's scowl deepens. "A few times. Nothing recent," he answers.

The world feels like it's spinning faster all of a sudden. A few times. He'd said a few times. Not just one more time, or two, but a _few_. How many times? When? _Why_? A brief flash of selfish anger crops up in her mind and she shoos it away.

_Not about you, Aria. Don't._

She looks him in the eye, takes one of his hands in hers, and holds a little bit tighter than usual. Not tight enough to hurt him, but tight enough to remind herself that he's here. That he didn't succeed, and that now that she knows, she can… maybe… do more to help him.

"I'm sorry," she whispers. "I know this isn't easy."

Rin's voice sounds almost empty when he replies. "You don’t have anything to be sorry about."

The emptiness in his tone makes Aria's heart shatter. "No, I do. I swept it under the rug with you. You thought I was _happy_ to sweep it under the rug. I wasn't, Rin. I never was. Please believe that," she begs. Her voice has more than enough emotion for the two of them.

In that same blank tone, he continues, "I _know_ you weren’t."

"I was just afraid." She looks down at the floor. "I didn't want to…" She stops, shaking her head sharply. "It's not important, what I did or didn't want. I fucked up, and I'm sorry."

Rin snorts sardonically. "It’s not your fault, Aria. Never was. Won’t ever be."

"Sunshine… I love you, you know that, right? I love you so much that if I ever… if I ever lost you, I would literally feel like a piece of my soul was missing." She blinks, finally letting some of the tears loose. "You've been suffering on your own for so long, just because I was so afraid that I'd send you back down that path, and… and now I'm learning that…" She trails off.

With a deep, soul-bearing sigh—accompanied by a whistling sound Aria’s grown accustomed to—Rin grabs her head gently and aligns their foreheads. His eyes are closed, but Aria can still see how tired he is.

"I love you. Without a doubt. With my whole being. I _love_ you. And I hope you can believe that, despite my actions."

Aria flings her arms around Rin's shoulders, hugging him desperately and burying her head in his shoulder. She cries harder.

"Sunshine, your actions don't change how much I love you. If anything, they make me love you _more_, because it shows me how strong you are. You're so strong… you've made it through so much… you're amazing. The bravest, strongest, most amazing person I know." She breaks down in incomprehensible sobs against his shoulder.

The way he rubs soothing circles on her back and coos softly into her ear _should_ be comforting, but there's something in the back of her mind that tells her this still isn't right. There's still too much wrong, too much left unsaid. Her heart doesn't agree, and she clings to him tighter in a desperate, feeble attempt to anchor herself and calm herself down.

She sniffles pathetically. "I hope… I hope you don't resent me. For not talking about this sooner." She pushes back from the hug and meets his gaze.

Rin uses his sleeve to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "I can never resent you, Aria."

Aria manages a tiny, halfhearted smile, and meets his gaze again. "Sunshine, can we make a promise real quick?" she asks.

He doesn't answer with words. Instead, he tilts his head curiously.

"Let's… let's _talk_ more. I don't think we should… do what we've been doing anymore." She takes his hand again. "You're my best friend, my brother, the most important person in the world to me. I want… I want to be there for you however you need me to, okay?"

In a soft voice, Rin murmurs, "O-okay."

Aria holds her pinky out for a pinky promise. "Promise?" she asks.

He hooks his pinky with hers. "Promise." He gives her a wistful smile.

She knows this isn't the end of it, because she feels like they've barely scratched the surface, but some of the truth is in front of them now. Even if it's only _her_ truth. It's okay, though, because no matter what comes their way, Aria will always be there for Rin.

~

The mood downstairs is sufficiently ruined. Yakumo and Louis try to keep their conversations undercover, but Aria knows that things like this have a way of coming out with time. She wonders if she should be upfront and tell Rin that she blabbed, but she has a feeling that will just make matters worse. Tonight, maybe it's a bad idea. Maybe another day, when things aren't _already_ so tense.

For now, they sit in the living room, trying to regain the happiness they'd felt earlier.

Aria's tone is nowhere near as happy as it was earlier. "So, I _believe_ these two were gonna play Mario Kart. Did you assess Louis' karting skills, Sunshine?"

As soon as the words come out, she winces. It's obvious. She knows it is. Her voice is strained, like she's _trying_ to project calm, when normally, it would come easily. She feels guilty, but tries to hide it.

"Not yet, but we will now." Somehow, it seems like Rin has an easier time faking it. Aria is equal parts envious and worried, as Rin smiles slyly at Louis. "Are you ready to get _creamed_?"

Louis playfully rolls his eyes, but his lips are pressed together in concern. "Of all the words in your vocabulary, must it be that one you choose?"

Rin smiles brightly. "Absolutely!"

It seems like Yakumo senses the tension, despite the great lengths the twins are going through to hide it. He slides his arm around Aria's waist. "Cool, we'll let Rin build up that 'good reputation' before I drive in and shatter it," he muses with a smirk.

Aria sighs dramatically. "No one ever considers _me_ a threat." She places a hand on her chest, acting scandalized.

With a heavy sigh, Louis muses, "I guess I’m in for a rough one."

"Wow, Rin, I didn't know you were the rough type." Yakumo grins, his tone playful.

Rin laughs. "If you guys dare beat me on _my_ day, I hope you all know you’re responsible for when I drown in my own tears," he jokes.

If life was a sitcom, this would be the moment that someone scratched a record and everyone's faces turned toward the person who last spoke.

Instead, the whole room goes silent. Aria doesn't think much of it at first, mostly because her eyes are facing away from everyone, staring blankly at the cartoon characters and their vehicles on the screen. They're glassy with tears all over again. It's stupid, because it was just an offhand comment. Just one of Rin's stupid, tasteless jokes. Given everything that's happened over the past hour or so, though, it's hard to keep herself together.

What she doesn't notice, however, is the way Yakumo's arm wraps tighter around her, in an attempt to comfort her. His throat clear is the only sound in the room.

"What? Was that too emo?" Rin asks.

Aria shakes her head. "N-no it's… I'm okay." She smiles weakly.

Rin looks between Aria and Yakumo. "_What_?" he presses.

"What?" Aria repeats.

Yakumo shakes his head. "Everything's fine."

Realization strikes Rin like a lightning bolt, and his face morphs into an accusatory glare as he turns to Aria. "Did you tell him?"

Silence is Aria's only response. She did. She can't lie to Rin and she knows it. However, admitting it now, of all times… when they'd _just_ found some semblance of peace and comfort and maybe, _possibly_, a way to work through their issues…

In a small voice, Aria finally answers, "I didn't mean to. It just… came out."

Rin turns to Yakumo, his eyes sharp. "Is that why you wanted to talk? To hang out? What did she tell you? _When_?" he asks, one question after the other, without giving Yakumo a chance to reply.

"No, no, that's not why!" Yakumo shakes his head adamantly. "It was… last week sometime, maybe, but after we made our plans. That's not why I wanted to hang out."

Aria shakes her head. "Rin, it's not his fault, okay? Don't be mad at him." She stands up, taking a couple steps closer to Rin. "It's… it's mine."

Rin whirls toward Louis. "Did she tell _you_?"

"No. I don’t know the details," Louis answers.

"But you _know_."

Louis is still calm, and Aria finds herself wondering how. "It was my own conclusion," he explains.

"Right," Rin says in disbelief. He turns back to Yakumo, then to Aria. "_Right_."

"I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," she tells him desperately. "I didn't _mean_ to, I just…" She tries to finish the sentence, but nothing comes to her.

Rin stands up suddenly. "I’m going to take a walk." He doesn't wait for a reply before he starts toward the door, but he stops abruptly before he gets there. "_Don’t_. Follow me." Without another word, he storms out of the house, letting the door slam behind him.

Aria stays still, dumbstruck, only jumping slightly when the door slams behind Rin. She's vaguely aware of the movement around her, of Louis getting up and moving past her and of how Yakumo jumps up from his seat to wrap his arms around her. She wants to cry. She wants to speak. She wants to… do _anything_, really, but all she can do is stand rooted in the same spot and try to process what just happened.

In twenty-two years, Rin has never been this mad at her. She knows he's well within his rights to, too. It wasn't her story to tell, but she'd told it like the selfish bitch she is.

She's vaguely aware of Yakumo's fingers running through her hair, of him telling her that it'll be okay, but she doesn't let the words register. It won't be okay. How can it be okay when she, the one person who is always supposed to be in Rin's corner, has betrayed him and made him doubt so much?

As she's half-listening to Yakumo's gentle, comforting words in her ear, she's jolted into awareness by the sound of a knock on the door.

Easing out of Yakumo's arms, she wipes her eyes on the way to the door. A delivery man greets her on the other side, his smile feeling almost like a mockery, given everything that's happened that night so far. Yakumo takes the box—it's too big to fit into Aria's arms, after all—and carries it into the living room, but when he sets it down, he turns to her with a cautionary look on his face.

In a gentle tone, Yakumo stands between Aria and the box. "Maybe don't open this right now. You just need to—"

"No," Aria answers sharply. "I'm fine."

The words are a lie, but she's determined as she sits on the couch and peels the tape from the corner of the box. The sound is obnoxious, and it echoes in her pounding head. She crumples it up and sets it on the couch next to her, then pulls back the lid to see a large, black guitar case sitting in a sea of packing peanuts.

As she pulls it out, a note falls out. Aria quickly leans down to pick it up and sets it on the couch beside her.

The couch shifts when Yakumo sits next to her, and she lays the black case across both of their laps as she opens it. When it clicks open, and she lifts the lid, her eyes shoot open wide once again.

"The Hummingbird?" she asks no one in particular.

Yakumo's tone is almost warning when he speaks up again. "Aria…"

She reaches for the note again, and when she does, she almost wishes she hadn't.

_I know you've been eyeing this model of guitar since we were kids, and every time you get close, you end up wasting your money on things that I need. So, I decided, as a thank you for being there for me and being the best sister I could ever ask for, I bought it for you!_

_Please enjoy this gift from me to you (Yakumo and Louis helped but shhh, I could've totally covered it) No take backs! I'll get mad >:( lol, just kidding._

_I look forward to hearing you rock out on the stage with this bad boy._

_Love you beyond the stars and back ♥_

_\- Rin_

Aria's hand tightens around the note, wrinkles appearing where her fingers hold onto it. She feels her hands start shaking, and the heat of tears prickles the corners of her eyes all over again. She still doesn't speak; words don't seem to be finding their way to her lips right now, but a desperate, pathetic whimper does.

Yakumo sets the guitar case on the table. "Hey. Hey, come here," he says as he wraps his arms tightly around her and pulls her close.

Even if Aria wanted to resist, she can't. She thinks of the note, thinks of Rin's phrasing, and thinks of what she's done—what she's put him through—and the irony turns her whimpers into desperate, gasping sobs against Yakumo's chest.

_Best sister_, her mind taunts her, _yeah fucking right._

She can't articulate her thoughts, though. Instead, all that comes out is gasping, stuttering nonsense. Apologies to Rin, declarations that she doesn't deserve it, apologies to Yakumo for making Rin doubt him… that's what they're supposed to be, but they don't sound like that at all.

Aria clings to Yakumo, crying until she has no tears left, and _desperately_ wishes she could just take everything back.

She knows better, though. Some things, you just can't take back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we're at the uber drama chapters. Poor twins have been through so much. :weary:


	28. Rin & Louis (II)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the very kind reviews in the past few days!! Reading everyone's reviews is always such a delight ^.^ ♥

Rin’s thoughts are static. It feels like everything from the past few hours, days, weeks, months,  _ years _ morphs together into an incoherent cacophony of noise that Rin wishes would just  _ stop _ . He needs to refocus. He needs to calm his breathing before he forces himself into a panic attack or initiates an unwanted asthma attack, but the speed with which he marches down the dark sidewalk makes it difficult. The tightness in his chest worsens with the constriction of his binder, but the pain grounds him somewhat. It reminds him that he’s still very much  _ here.  _

Pain is good. Regardless of where it comes from,  _ pain is good _ .

When he thinks he’s far enough away from the shadows in the dark, he slows. Not to a stop, but enough to finally catch his breath. He knows he’s not alone; doesn't think either of them would honor his wishes, not after knowing what they know. It’s the price he pays after all.

People tend not to trust you once they know what you’re capable of doing to yourself.

Rin finally stops underneath the light of a lamp post. He’s grateful to see its only Louis, though a part of him wishes it wasn't.

“Didn’t I tell you guys to not follow me?” He starts, voice low. It's almost unrecognizable even to his own ears, but the bone-deep weariness he feels in his limbs, the heavy ache he feels in his heart—in his soul even—makes Rin less inclined to care.

Louis takes a step closer but quickly stops. His hands are visible and empty, his coat nowhere in sight. He looks oddly disheveled.

“I’m not leaving you alone in the dark,” Louis tells him coolly. Calmly. It's a stark contrast to his appearance.

Rin snorts and rolls his eyes. “What? Afraid I’ll take advantage of the situation? Contrary to popular belief, I’m a lot stronger than that, thanks. I know how my brain works. It’s going to take more shit than this to make me feel like  _ that  _ ever again.”

“I know. I believe you.”

Rin doubts that and releases a puff of dark laughter. “And yet here you are.” He gestures broadly to the dark sidewalk as though Louis being  _ here  _ with him is enough to prove his point on how much people change the moment they know the  _ truth _ . 

“I’m  _ here  _ because I want to be with  _ you _ .” Louis steps into the ring of light, but doesn’t approach Rin any further.

It’s not an answer Rin expects, and if the surprise shows on his face, Louis doesn’t acknowledge it. Rin steels himself against the hurricane of emotion swirling within him. He grasps onto the only emotion he feels he has the  _ right  _ to feel—anger.

“You must be wondering why I didn’t tell you.” He says instead.

Once again, Louis response shocks him: “I figured you’d tell me when you were ready.”

_ ‘When you were ready.’  _ Rin swallows hard against the lump forming in the back of his throat. When he was ready? Would he ever be ready? Isn’t that what Aria did at first? Give him  _ space  _ and waited until he was  _ ready _ ?

Rin shakes the thoughts away. He’s desperately gripping onto anger again, but it's hard to stay angry in the face of Louis’ honesty. He’s tired. Rin feels a lifetime of weariness catching up to him, but he’s not ready to give in. Not yet.

“And yet you already figured it out  _ all by yourself _ .” He presses. It's futile, but he needs to keep going. He needs to stay angry for a moment longer. 

Louis shakes his head gently in response. “I told you, I don’t know the details. I mostly inferred it for myself.”

“And I bet you’re  _ dying  _ to know the story,” Rin forces a laugh. It sounds desperate in his ears. “Well, here I am. Open to questions. Go ahead and ask me  _ anything  _ you want.” 

“I don’t need to,” Louis states. “It doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

Rin frowns. His heart is hammering so wildly in his chest, he’s almost positive Louis can see it too. “Yes, it does—”

Louis shakes his head. Hard. “They’re  _ my  _ feelings, Rin. And what I’m saying is true. It  _ doesn’t  _ change anything between us.”

Rin watches him for a moment, expression unreadable. He’s not sure what to think or how to handle...  _ this _ . He’s used to people asking questions. He’s used to people exhausting the well of their curiosity and dropping him like a fly once they know everything they need to know. He’s used to the pitying looks; the judgmental expressions. This? He’s not sure what to do with this. With  _ Louis _ .

Louis takes another step forward. Rin doesn’t move. He swallows the lump forming in his throat.

“You probably think I’m being selfish by reacting this way,” Rin insists. “Like I have any right to be angry that Aria told Yakumo. I know damn well what I did was cowardly, alright? And the fact that I couldn’t even do  _ that  _ right the first time just… pisses me off.”

Louis takes another step closer and this time Rin is aware of what he’s doing but refuses to move. “I don’t think you’re being selfish, and the fact that you assume I would lets me know that we haven’t spent enough time together.” Louis chuckles humorlessly. “It’s not cowardly, it’s not selfish and you have every right to  _ feel _ , Rin. You and Aria. You  _ both  _ have the right to feel the way you do.”

“She thinks it's her fault.” Rin murmurs, his body trembling. The tears are building, but he refuses to let them fall. “Like, I’m pretty fucking sure she thinks she could’ve prevented the whole thing if she was just more attentive. But the reality is, she can’t fix what’s unfixable. What I did was  _ my  _ choice.  _ My  _ decision.  _ My  _ planning. I didn’t want her to suffer anymore and I sure as hell didn’t want her to find me like that, but I fucked up.” He glares at the ground, desperately clutching to the remnants of burning rage inside his chest. “And when I woke up, do you know what the first thing that went through my mind was?” He laughs self-deprecatingly. “I thought ‘Shit. Now she knows.’”

Rin sighs heavily. Wearily.

“Every other attempt after that made me feel guilty because I was so scared she’d find me again and I would wake up to that pain. I didn’t want her to feel that again, Louis. But I… it just…  _ hurt so much _ .” He swallows thickly. “I thought if I could just  _ deal  _ with it, maybe it’ll get better. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. Not really. It doesn’t  _ really  _ go away, you just learn to co-exist.” He rubs his face. His arms feel like lead. “I’m sorry Louis. I keep dragging you into this mess—”

Louis closes the gap between them, his arms wrapping around Rin, holding him tightly.

“And I keep telling you that I don’t care. I want to be with  _ you _ through  _ all  _ of it. I love you too much to watch you suffer anymore.”

Rin stiffens in his embrace, but he lets out a breath of laughter.

“That’s right.  _ That’s _ what you said in dinner last time.”

Louis chuckles softly. “And it still holds true.”

Rin wraps his arms around Louis, accepting his warmth. His comfort. It's ruined by the guilt welling up inside him. “I’m sorry that I can’t say it back. I don’t even know what love is supposed to feel like.”

“I’ll show you… if you’d have me.”

“Like I’d ever choose anyone else,” Rin mumbles into Louis’ shoulder. “Who else would even want someone like me?”

“More people than you realize.” Louis murmurs. He pulls them apart just long enough to stare into Rin’s eyes. “You’re worth more than you think, Rin. The lives you’ve touched? That smile of yours? Too many hearts would break if, one day, we all woke up to see you were gone.”

The dam breaks before Rin realizes what’s happening. The heaving, desperate sobs he expects don’t come, but the river of tears that flow from his eyes is unstoppable. There’s a gaping hole in his chest that aches as strongly as it did back when he was young when waking up every day was a chore; when not a second went by where he didn’t think things would be easier without him. When he and Aria were out on the street, and the first signs of complications post-drowning started to rear their ugly heads. Then, he thought it was a suitable punishment. But the strain it put on Aria,  _ that  _ hurt more than the choking coughs. Watching her sacrifice everything for him, contemplate whether or not selling her body would be the best for their futures, watching her orbit a manipulative bastard who preyed on her insecurities—all of that hurt worse.

He wasn’t strong enough then, and he isn’t strong enough now.

Maybe it's selfish, and maybe it isn't, but Rin knows one thing for certain: Aria would’ve had a better time—an easier one even—finding a new home without him. Keeping twins together is tough enough as it is. Back then, people hadn't wanted them because they weren’t identical enough. They weren’t young enough. They weren’t perfect enough. At least, if Aria were by herself, she wouldn't have suffered for as long as she did.

And maybe,  _ just maybe _ , she would’ve found herself in Coco’s care, and enrolled into  _ Vein University  _ and  _ maybe  _ she would’ve met Yakumo.

Maybe, it would’ve worked out in the end.

Maybe.

Rin doesn’t realize he’s falling asleep in Louis’ arms until his legs give out and gravity jerks him back into wakefulness. Louis’ embrace keeps him supported, but the soft chuckle in his ear sounds distant.

“Let’s head back before you decide the sidewalk makes a good bed.”

“Your body makes a good bed,” Rin mumbles sluggishly.

Louis laughs breathlessly. “Then you can sleep on me until tomorrow, but I really need you to stay awake long enough to help me bring you back home. I’m not as strong as Yakumo, you know.”

“You’re strong enough.” Rin sighs. He lets Louis steer him back in the direction of the apartment, though he stumbles a few times.

He’s not sure how long it takes them to make it back, but the lights in the apartment are still on. Louis carefully leads him up the porch and twists the knob. The bright lights of the living room make Rin flinch.

Yakumo peers out from the kitchen the moment he hears them return. He squeezes out the remnants of soapy water from the cleaning sponge and turns to them. “Hey, you two.” He greets, his smile sad. Shameful even.

“How is she?” Louis asks quietly.

Rin is aware of Yakumo’s eyes on him before he murmurs a response. It’s a struggle to stay coherent, and as Louis remains standing, speaking to Yakumo, the less aware Rin becomes. Louis’ body heat is comforting. It doesn’t fill the ache in his heart, but it eases the pain enough for Rin to convince himself that maybe, just  _ maybe _ , things might be okay again.

He mumbles something under his breath just as Louis begins to move again. Well, he  _ thinks  _ he does, but the only response Louis gives him is a barely audible chuckle. The next time Rin blinks, he finds himself laying flat on his mattress, a troubled look on Louis’ face as he hovers over him. Somewhere in a more sensible part of Rin’s mind, he thinks a situation like this would be more exciting. Right now, though, Rin is confused. Louis’ troubled look makes him feel horrible. He tries to reach out in an effort to  _ physically  _ wipe Louis’ frown away, but the most he can do is lift his hand part way before the energy leaves him. Rin thinks he puffs out a laugh.

“I need to take your binder off,” Louis explains, as slowly and clearly as possible.

Rin blinks, trying to grasp the meaning behind Louis’ words. He opens his mouth, finds it too dry so he wets it. He mumbles something. It’s supposed to be an '_okay_' but he’s not sure if Louis understands. He tries again, this time with more effort.

“‘Mkay,” he manages.

Louis’ face turns pink. “Rin, are you awake enough to do that yourself?” Rin shakes his head, mumbles something that sounds like a no. Louis takes a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll do it quickly.”

Rin is only partially aware of what Louis is doing. He’s awake long enough to help Louis pull off his shirt and somewhere between the time when Louis reaches for the zipper in the center of the binder, to the moment Rin can feel the air returning to his lungs. The air helps him snap back to reality. He catches the bright tinge of red dusting Louis’ cheeks by the time he fits Rin’s pajamas over his head. He giggles under his breath, the sweet tug of sleep growing stronger, now that he's comfortable and free.

“I’ll be back,” Louis presses a kiss to Rin’s temple. “I promise.”

Rin watches as he heads for the door before his consciousness leaves him.

* * *

Louis makes the quiet journey back down the stairs and joins Yakumo in the kitchen.

“Rin is asleep,” Louis announces, breaking the heavy silence.

Yakumo doesn’t look up from the sink as he rinses off suds from a spatula. “Is he okay?”

Louis nods curtly. “He’ll be okay as his mind can let him be.” He sighs. “You know none of this is your fault.”

Yakumo waves his hand dismissively. “I'm not worried about me, I'm worried about  _ them _ .” He finally turns around, then laughs humorlessly. “The guitar showed up. Right after you guys left.”

Louis grimaces. “How’d that go?”

From the countertop, Yakumo gathers the folded note and hands it to Louis. “About as well as could be expected.”

Louis reads the note carefully, his grimace worsening. Once he’s finished, he sets the note aside with a heavy sigh. “Impeccable timing.” He mumbles, running a shaky hand through his hair.

“Is he really okay, though?” Yakumo asks again, frowning. “I didn't mean to make it obvious that I knew, it's just… with what he said, I couldn't help it.”

“No, he’s not okay, but… I think he will be.”

“What about… them?” Yakumo’s frown deepens. “She kept talking about how she was afraid of losing him.”

Louis rests his back against the kitchen counter and heaves another load-bearing sigh. “He’s afraid of burdening her. If… they can be open with each other from this point on, I think they’ll be okay. But they  _ need  _ to be open with each other.”

“I think that's the problem right there.” Yakumo chuckles humorlessly as he heads to the living room and picks up some of the packing peanuts that fell to the floor. “They've spent so much time hiding this shit from each other…  _ will _ they be honest?”

“It’s hard to say. It certainly won’t be easy.”

“So… what can we do?” Yakumo picks the guitar case up and sets it on the couch.

Louis shrugs. “The best we can. Be there for them. Give them support. Be their voices of reason.”

“Well  _ yeah _ .” Yakumo laughs humorlessly. “I meant other than the obvious shit I knew we were gonna do.”

“That’s all we can really do,” Louis explains. “This isn’t something  _ we  _ can fix for them. They have to do it themselves.”

Yakumo’s smile is sad when he glances Louis’ way. “Thought you might say that,” he murmurs, then glances up the stairs. “You gonna crash here tonight?”

“Yeah,” Louis nods. He looks away from Yakumo, willing the heat from his cheeks to dissipate. Now wasn’t the time to be shy. “I promised Rin I would.” 

“Is that a  _ blush  _ I see?” Yakumo teases, managing a real smile in spite of the heavy gloom.

“Absolutely not.” 

“I think it's  _ definitely _ a blush I see. Did something happen?” Yakumo smirks. 

In spite of himself, Louis’ blush intensifies. He violently shoves the memory from earlier away from his mind and mentally chastises himself for thinking of such things at a time like this. “Nothing indecent, just… Rin needed help removing his binder. That’s all.” Louis insists.

Yakumo’s chuckle is awkward. “All it takes to set the mind racing, isn’t it?”

“And I suspect he wants to share the bed,” Louis continues, anxiously rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m… doing my best to stay focused.”

Yakumo crosses the small distance between them and playfully shoves Louis in the shoulder. “You'll stay focused. You're like… the most focused person I know.” He leans against the wall next to the door upstairs. 

Louis snorts. “ I don’t know how true that is. I… confessed to him while we were out there and now…” He shakes his head. “I  _ need  _ to refocus.”

“So, refocus,” Yakumo shrugs. “But don't become a robot about it. Just because he needs you to be there for him doesn't mean you can't be  _ with _ him, too.”

“Yeah. You’re right.” Louis gives Yakumo a curious look. “Do you plan on staying?”

Yakumo shrugs. “I dunno.” He glances up at the ceiling again. “She didn’t ask.”

“You should. I think it would mean the world to her if you did.”

Yakumo is quiet for a moment, mulling Louis’ words over. After a while, he finally says, “Yeah… You know what, I think I will.” He chuckles awkwardly. “You can go ahead up. I'm gonna finish cleaning up the mess from dinner and then bring the guitar up to her room when I turn in for the night.”

Louis nods. “Alright. Try to get some rest.”

As Louis heads for the stairs, Yakumo grips him gently by the arm, stopping him in his tracks.

“Hey, just so you know… you've got nothing to be embarrassed about, dude. You're allowed to be physically attracted to him, too.” Yakumo manages a chuckle then releases him. He heads for the couch. “Anyway, night dude.”

With a bright red face, Louis bids him goodnight and hurries up the stairs.

* * *

When Rin wakes up the following morning, his head feels like cotton. His chest is tight and heavy, and there’s an itch in the back of his throat that forces several raspy, harsh coughs out of him. With slow, drained movements, he reaches across his nightstand for his inhaler, and once he has it, he sprays one pump into his mouth. Immediately, his airways open again, and Rin feels the pressure subside. It doesn’t go away entirely, but it's enough to feel functional again.

He sits up slowly in bed, awareness settling around him. He's vaguely aware that he’s alone, and somewhere distantly in his mind, he remembers that he  _ shouldn’t  _ be. Louis. Louis is supposed to be in bed with him. Rin glances to his side, but just as he expects, the rest of the bed is empty. There are no traces of anyone else having been in his room, but he knows it’s not true. He remembers cuddling up next to someone in the middle of the night; remembers inhaling Louis’ familiar, comforting scent somewhere deep in sleep. He  _ remembers _ Louis coming for him after her stormed out of the apartment, and he remembers what led up to that moment.

Pressure builds up in Rin’s chest again. He rubs it slowly, methodically. He stares at his inhaler, he knows what he  _ should  _ do. If his chest feels tight, he needs more than one pump of medicine. Yet, Rin sits the contraption aside and pulls the sheets from his legs.

He steps out of the room, trembling slightly from a mixture of exhaustion, chill and… surprisingly,  _ fear _ . Aria’s door is closed. He’s tempted to reach across the gap; to grasp the doorknob or knock on her door, but he doesn’t. He stares at it. One minute stretches into two. Then three.

He slips past her door and starts his slow descent to the living room.

He’s not sure who to expect when he opens the door to the living room, but out of everyone, for some reason, Yakumo surprises him the most. He must have made a sound because Yakumo is already staring at him from the couch, a worried, somewhat awkward smile on his face.

“Uh… hey.” He waves. “You've got breakfast in the fridge. Don't uh… don't let me bother you, okay?”

Something about Yakumo’s sentence doesn’t sit right with Rin. He tilts his head, brows furrowing. “You… m-made breakfast…?” He queries.

Yakumo shakes his head gently. “Nah. Aria did.” He states. Rin doesn’t miss the quick glance he casts toward the ceiling. 

That makes more sense than Yakumo cooking. Rin nods blankly then robotically heads for the kitchen. He’s not hungry but knows his stomach is empty. He’s aware that he  _ should  _ eat something, just as he  _ should  _ go back upstairs and grab his inhaler. He knows what he  _ should  _ be doing; what  _ needs  _ to be done. The truth is on the tip of his tongue. It builds up behind his throat; makes his chest heavier. He inhales sharply, and thankfully, its inaudible. 

He feels like he’s on the brink of collapse with no means of stopping it.

Rin steals a glance around the kitchen. He doesn’t see Louis anywhere, but vaguely, he’s aware of the bathroom fan humming distantly in the living room. Louis must be in there.

It takes all of Rin’s power not to scream.

Robotically, Rin pulls his breakfast from the fridge and sets it into the microwave. As he closes the door, he catches Yakumo’s reflection only a few feet behind him.

“Hey, I know I said not to let me bother you, but… can I bother you a little?” Yakumo chuckles, voice soft.

Rin can’t bring himself to speak. Whatever is building up in his throat is taking most of his energy. He nods, slowly at first then with more confidence.

“I just wanted to make sure we were cool. That we were still friends.”

Rin doesn’t say anything for a moment. He grabs his reheated plate and sits quietly at the table. Yakumo’s word replay in his mind. He dissects them. Inspects them. Rehashes them. He doesn’t know how to feel. He knows what he  _ should _ feel; what he  _ should  _ say. 

He doesn’t make eye contact with Yakumo, but he utters a response: “We’re still friends.”

It feels…  _ right _ , like it's some sort of truth, and Rin suspects it  _ is  _ the truth. He realizes then that it’s  _ shame  _ that keeps Rin from looking at Yakumo.

Yakumo’s halfhearted laugh breaks Rin from his darkening spiral of thoughts. “Really? 'Cause before last night you could actually make eye-contact with me.”

Rin ducks into his meal, his cheeks darkening from embarrassment. “S’okay. We’re still friends. I promise.” He manages, focusing intently on his untouched food.

He misses Yakumo’s frown, but he can sense a tone of  _ something _ in his next words. “Just… just so you know, I didn't know anything until last week. I've wanted to be your friend for way longer than that, and it doesn't change anything. You're still the funniest dude I've ever known, and…” Yakumo pauses. “And I think you're stronger than basically anyone I know. Stronger than me, even.”

Shock forces Rin to turn Yakumo’s way. “You… don’t think I’m weak?”

Yakumo shakes his head. “You kidding me? Not many people could come back from what you have and be as tough as you are. I sure as hell couldn't.”

“And… you don’t… pity me?” Rin asks, his brows furrowing again.

“Dude. If anything I  _ admire _ you. That's the kind of resilience people should strive to have.”

Rin is at a loss for words. He feels tears prickling in his eyes, but he blinks them away. He doesn’t want to cry, he doesn’t really think he deserves to after the way he treated Aria yesterday, but the wave of relief and elation he feels running through him makes it hard to keep it together. When he finally looks back up to Yakumo, Rin catches sight of Louis entering the kitchen. His presence alone fills Rin with a renewed sense of strength.

“D'you feel any better, by the way?” Yakumo asks as he pours himself a second cup of coffee.

“A little,” Rin mutters. “I feel like a freight train smacked into me.” When Louis takes a seat beside him, Rin notices the slight tinge of pink on his cheeks. “Are you okay?” He asks, reaching out and tracing a gentle thumb against the apple of Louis’ cheek.

“Yeah,” Louis sighs easily, leaning into Rin’s touch. “I’m fine. Don’t mind me.”

“Don’t worry, Louis, it’ll go away.” Yakumo quips. There’s a wry smile on Yakumo’s lips that only sets to confuse Rin more. Louis shoots Yakumo a dangerous glare, and all Rin can do is stare between the two of them, dumbfounded.

“Don’t mind us,” Yakumo explains, noticing Rin’s confusion. “So, not to shock everyone, except Louis probably, but Aurora's party's today.”

Rin jolts in realization. He whips around to face Louis, a number of apologies on his lips, but Louis shakes his head gently. 

“Don’t worry about it, Rin. Yesterday was a lot to take in.” Louis says, leaning into Rin’s space and kissing him comfortingly on the cheek.

Yakumo nods in agreement. “If… if Aria doesn't feel up to going, I'm probably gonna have to ask Jack to cover me at the bar. If that's okay with you, Louis. I know you wanted me to be there, but—”

“It’s okay, Yakumo. They’ll understand.”

Rin stares back at his meal at the mention of his sister. He sinks his teeth into his bottom lip, his heart hammering wildly in his chest. “H-how is she doing…?” He asks quietly. 

“She’s… probably been better.”

Rin nods. His mind is blank. His chest is heavy and the pain in his heart aches even more. He knows what needs to be done, and it’s just as frightening as he remembers it being. He rises from the table without a word and heads for the stairs.

With more clarity than anything else, he hears Yakumo’s final words: “See what I mean? Tougher stuff than anyone I know.”


	29. Twins, Quartet Shenanigans

Aria is sitting in her bed, having woken up from yet another dream where Rin walked away from her. She sits cross-legged on the bed, holding the guitar in her arms, carefully plucking the strings, softly enough not to make too much sound.

She doesn't feel right keeping it. Rin had given it to the 'best sister,' but the 'best sister' wouldn't blab secrets to someone like she had to Yakumo. The only thing letting her keep it is Rin's little aside in his note. 'No take-backs or I'll be mad.'

_If he's already mad, does that cancel it out, or make it worse?_

Shaking her head hard, she idly starts plucking the chords to 'You Are My Sunshine.' "_You'll never know dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away…_"

Aria thinks maybe choosing that song is her way of tormenting herself. In truth, she's only singing the song because it's the first one she thought of when she picked the guitar up. The song feels more melancholy than it did when she sang it to Rin in their childhood. She thinks back, remembering how it was the only way she could get him to fall asleep some nights. Now, as she thinks about Rin's face last night—the look of betrayal he'd shot her way—the words take on a new, bitter meaning, and Aria stops playing in the middle of a line, shaking her head and looking away from the guitar.

In the newly-offered silence of her bedroom, she hears the sound of a gentle knock on her door. In a croaky voice, she invites the person on the other side into her room, assuming it _has_ to be Yakumo. After all… why would Rin or Louis want to talk to her again after what she did last night?

When she looks up and is face-to-face with none other than Rin, she blinks, all words die on her tongue. It's a terrifying feeling, being completely devoid of things to say when she looks at her brother. It's never happened to her before, and it shows exactly how badly she's screwed up here.

Finally, she finds her words, even if they _are_ messy and stammering. "Uh… o-oh. Hey Sunshine…" she greets him, trying to smile and averting her eyes.

The sound of the door closing startles her, and she turns toward it with wide eyes, half-expecting Rin to be on the other side of the door, walking away because he can't stand the sight of her. She wouldn't have blamed him. It's what she deserves. Instead, he's in the room with her, but the look on his face doesn't do anything to assuage the river of tears from crashing against the lowered dam keeping them back. He's not smiling, and he's not even looking at her.

Rin's voice is quiet when he next speaks. "Hey."

Any trace of a smile on Aria's face vanishes immediately, and is replaced with shame. She looks away from him, down at her pink comforter. "I'm… I'm sorry, Sunshine, I—"

Aria isn't sure she had any expectations about what Rin would do, beyond leaving her room and shutting her out of his life. So, the way Rin closes the space between them and wraps her in a tight hug takes her by complete surprise. Immediately, a feeling of safety envelops her, just like it always has when Rin hugs her.

The comfort and safety immediately crashes to the ground when she realizes that he's crying. She wraps her arms around Rin in return, hugging him close. The river of tears crashes harder into the dam, and the first cracks appear. Before Aria knows what's happened, she breaks down in uncontrollable sobs against Rin's shoulder.

"I'm… I'm so sorry, Rin. I didn't mean to… I didn't mean to hurt you, I didn't _mean_ to tell him, I just… I just…" She trails off. Words fail her, because how can she even _explain_ what possessed her to blab his secrets? Instead, she just clings to him like her life depends on it.

Rin's voice sounds weary—wheezy, almost, like he's seconds from an asthma attack—when he replies. "I’m sorry too, for letting you sweep it under the rug, for letting you think you couldn’t tell me your feelings. I just thought… I thought you’d be better. Had a better chance."

The words are like a lightning bolt, or maybe a dagger, plunging into Aria's chest and twisting in her heart. The thought of her life without Rin, of a life without her Sunshine… it's not one she wants to entertain. Before she can compose her mind enough to say as much, Rin's voice snaps her from her thoughts.

"I loved you too much to drag you down with me," he says.

Aria shakes her head adamantly. "No! N-no, I'm _never_ better without you, Sunshine. Okay? Never!" She pulls out of the hug and meets his eyes, brushing her thumb along his cheekbone and wiping his tears away. "And you've never dragged me down. Not even once. All you ever do is make me a better person. You make me want to be braver, so I can be half as amazing as you."

It's Rin's turn to shake his head. "No. If anyone is brave it's you. You’re like Atlas, shouldering the weight of the world. I couldn’t ever do that." He sniffs and laughs wetly. The throatiness of Rin's tone doesn't escape Aria's notice. "Still can’t, honestly. I’m sorry."

"You make me brave, though," Aria tells him like it's the most obvious thing in the world. She pats the bed next to her, suggesting that he move closer to her so she can hold him close, like she always used to. "You know why I can be so brave?"

When he moves closer to her, her relief is palpable. "Why?" he asks.

Aria snuggles into his side and wraps her arms around him. "Because you're with me," she answers simply. "If I'd had to face the world alone… you think I'd have been able to deal with all the bullshit we went through? Mido? Homelessness? _Rocky_?"

She feels him flinch beneath her, and responds by snuggling closer and leaning her head against his shoulder. She knows he hates Rocky; knows that it's probably because all of the doubts Rocky put in his head and all the terrible things Rocky said to him when he was done playing nice. Aria needs to make sure Rin understands that Rocky doesn't matter. He's insignificant. _Rin_ is important.

Rin always has been, and always will be, the driving force in Aria's life.

"I managed because you were there with me. My best friend, my brother, and sort of my hero." Aria chuckles, then lifts her hand to wipe her eyes.

"It hurt… when you shut me out," Rin says, in lieu of a reply. "I thought it was because you were embarrassed with me… Everyone else looked at me with either contempt or pity and I thought, maybe, you did too. But… it wasn’t your fault. I want you to know that, Ari. None of it is your fault. It’s just me."

The moment Rin mentions thinking Aria was embarrassed by him, shock falls over her face. "I wasn't embarrassed by you, Sunshine. No way, not even a little bit!" She shakes her head and looks at him seriously, hoping that he believes her. "I was just… after the first time or two that I asked, when you told me you didn't want to talk about it, I… I thought maybe that meant you'd moved _past_ it. Then I stopped asking, because… because I didn't want to bring you back there, you know? I didn't want…" She sniffles and takes his hand, weaving their fingers together. "I didn't want to lose you."

She pauses, then shakes her head hard. "I could've pushed harder, though. It may not be my fault—and it's not yours either—but I could have done that. You deserved that much. So… I'm sorry, too." She can't help but be disappointed in herself. All these years, she's been failing him.

Rin squeezes her hand tightly and laughs humorlessly. "Hate to break it to you, sis, but I never moved past it. Still haven’t. There’s no 'going back' when you never left. But… I try very hard to work past it, because of you and Louis and Coco and Yakumo…" he pauses, then continues with a far-off tone in his voice. "And the colors of the sky, the smell of flowers… anything. Everything."

Aria looks at him, an amazed smile on her face. "You're incredible, you know that?"

"No, but everyone keeps saying it so I think, eventually, it’ll feel real," Rin admits.

With a resolute nod, Aria smooths her fingers through his hair. "I'll remind you every day if I have to. In spite of our… whatever that was—stupidity, I guess—" She laughs bitterly, "You became a force to be reckoned with. You fought it on your own. Not anymore, though. I'm going to be the 'best sister' your note talked about. No more of whatever I was doing. I promise."

Rin smiles softly. "I just want to shoulder your burdens. We’re twins, right? It's supposed to be us against the world. I don’t want you to suffer by yourself either. You are the best sister in the world, Ari. Please tell me your nightmares. Tell me your anxieties. Tell me when Yakumo gets on your nerves," he jokes. "I want to feel like brother and sister again. Not… whatever the fuck this is."

"I will if you do," Aria promises. "Because you're right. It _is_ us against the world." She pauses and glances down at the floor, as if she can see into the kitchen. "Us-plus-two, anyway."

The warmth in Rin's eyes is flooring; more genuine than Aria remembers seeing in a long time. "I promise," he tells her.

Aria feels a new flood of emotion crashing into her. Better emotion. _Happier_ emotion. "I promise, too," she says as she holds her pinky out again. "Thank you for being amazing, Sunshine."

Rin hooks his pinky with hers. "Thank you for loving me, Sugar Queen." 

"I'll _always_ love you," she promises, smiling lovingly.

He tilts his head slightly. "Can I ask you something?"

Aria nods. "Ask away. Honest Aria: starting now," she answers with a smile.

Rin worries his bottom lip. “Yakumo said something… unusual earlier and I was wondering if you could help me decipher it? It was to Louis, not to me, but I’m… they told me not to worry about it, so, you know. Naturally, I have to worry about it.”

Quirking her head curiously, Aria nods in understanding. "It's the Frey curse, it's true," she muses. "What'd he say?"

“He told Louis that _something_ would go away? And, honestly, that wouldn’t stick with me but, Ari, Louis gave him the meanest glare.” Rin frowns worriedly. “You know how he is, that’s not a reaction I’d expect from him.”

Aria hums thoughtfully. "Something would go…" Realization dawns on her and her eyes shoot open. Something would go away. It made Louis glare angrily. A wry smirk spreads across Aria's face. "You think he woke up with morning wood?" she asks.

Rin blinks, eyes growing wide. He buries his face into his hands and groans. “Oh my gooood, whhhyyyyyyyyyyy?!”

"Was that a complaint?" Aria asks, her expression indicating that she knows the answer already.

Rin shoots her a playful glare, cheeks pink. “I would’ve at least preferred to be awake for it,” he grumbles.

Grinning playfully, Aria asks, "Why, so you could take care of it for him?"

Rin gasps dramatically and presses a hand against his chest. “Sis, how could you _dare_ suggest such a scandalous thing? I would _never_.”

Aria laughs. "Oh, so you don't want his bone? You don't want him to bingle your bongle? Bop your boop?" she teases.

He bursts into laughter. “Don’t ever call sex like that again, Ari. You make it sound so _unsexy_!”

With a big grin, Aria presses her finger to the tip of Rin's nose briefly. "Morning wood is a completely natural thing. Just means he's attracted to you, which, I mean… duh." She pauses and chuckles softly. "Means snuggling you made him horny, too."

“I guess it has something to do with him confessing his love for me last night,” Rin muses bashfully.

Aria springs up into a seated position, staring wide-eyed at Rin. "He _what_?" she asks excitedly.

Rin smiles warmly, though it quickly sobers. "I told him I couldn't return it back until I was sure what I felt was real too but Lulu is pretty understanding," he says, then huffs a laugh. "All three of you are weird."

"You're worth the effort, so I'm glad he's understanding," Aria declares as she nestles back against his side again. "We may be weird, but so are you. I think that's why we all belong together, you know? Weird with weird."

As he slides his arm around Aria's shoulders, he laughs gently. "Yeah. The weird brigade."

Aria smiles and pulls the guitar closer to them. "Oh, by the way," she murmurs, before turning to press a kiss to Rin's cheek. "Thank you. For being the most thoughtful and wonderful person ever to exist ever in the history of ever."

Rin blushes. "It was the least I could do after everything you’ve done for me. Yakumo and Louis helped but I’m just gonna steal all the credit," he snickers playfully.

"You get a little more credit because you knew exactly the one I wanted. The color, the neck, the strings, everything is perfect," she says as pats him on the cheek. "Just like you. And now every time I sing, it'll be just like you're on stage with me."

The smile on Rin's face is enough to make the sun go dark with jealousy.

Smirking, Aria rests her chin on his shoulder. "What do you say, Sunshine? Why don't we go downstairs and face the day? Start day one of our new leaf thing?" she asks.

"Yeah, I’m ready when you are."

She stands up and hooks her arm with Rin's. "It's funny how much easier it is to start your day when there's Sunshine in your life," she beams, a real, true, genuine smile for the first time in a long time.

Rin chuckles. "Or when your mutual crush apparently wakes up with a boner after cuddling you all night," he muses.

Aria bursts out laughing as she opens the door. "Okay, but wait 'til you feel what it feels like to have that bone _inside_ you." She smirks.__

_ _Rin blushes red again. “If only,” he sighs dramatically._ _

_ _"At this rate, all you have to do is ask. If he woke up and it was pressed against you?" She grins. "Trust me. He wants it."_ _

_ _Red washes over Rin's cheeks again, and when he speaks up, it's an impressive whine. "_Aria_."_ _

_ _Aria smiles impishly. "If you want proper Aria back you've gotta take the good with the bad." She pokes him in the side, then leans in and whispers, "And that means observing the fact that Lulu definitely wants to give you-you that bone-bone."_ _

_ _Rin's expression goes blank. "Wow. That’s so creative, Aria. Your commentary is so colorful," he deadpans._ _

_ _"Oh?" She gives him a playful look. "And I suppose you could do better."_ _

_ _Grinning devilishly, Rin nods. "'Course I can. It’s me we’re talking about. I’ll show you—"_ _

_ _Aria holds onto his arm, trying to keep him in place. "No. No, no, nonono, you don't have to do that."_ _

_ _Rin leads her down the stairs carefully. "Yeah? I won’t do anything," he tells her. "Promise."_ _

_ _Though she's still nervous about exactly what he's planning, she sighs and nods. "… new leaf. I'm gonna trust you."_ _

_ _As they walk through the door and into the living room, the sweet smile on Rin's face is almost worrisome. Aria turns to look at Louis and Yakumo, who seem to be having a hushed conversation at the kitchen table._ _

_ _The moment they open the door, Yakumo greets them with hopeful eyes, then a smile. "They're smiling. I'm assuming this means good things?" he asks._ _

_ _Aria hopes her warm smile is enough of an answer on its own. "He's still a brat, but yes. Very good things," she answers._ _

_ _Without acknowledging Aria's joke, Rin immediately turns his attention to Louis. "Louis! Aria says the reason you were in the shower when I woke up is because you wanna bone me. Is she right? Do you want to inject me with your sweet cream? Your _cumlatte_?"_ _

_ _Aria almost falls over laughing. "_Not that word again_."_ _

_ _It's almost like Louis is trying to define new shades of red to turn. "Wh-wha—"_ _

_ _Yakumo chokes on his coffee and almost spits it out. "_What_ did you say?" he asks once he swallows._ _

_ _"Is she right?" Rin asks again. "Do you wanna slather your sweetness all over my bom-boms?"_ _

_ _While Aria is doubled over in a fit of giggles, she watches Louis for a reaction. Louis simply buries his burning face into his hands. "I hoped it had escaped your notice," he murmurs._ _

_ _"Oh, well it did," Rin replies. "Ari and I had to decipher Yakumo’s ‘it’ll go away’ comment to figure it out."_ _

_ _Louis shoots Yakumo another dark look, but when he answers, he speaks to Rin instead. "_Rin_, please. Don’t remind me. It took ages to refocus."_ _

_ _Aria finally manages to collect herself, and she hums thoughtfully. "Refocus. Is that code for 'get thoughts of boning Rin in his bed out of my mind?'"_ _

_ _"I thought it was code for ‘rubbing one out?'" Rin asks._ _

_ _With a dismayed groan, Louis shakes his head. "No! It’s _refocusing_. As in ‘I’m not going to rub one out or _think_ about boning the love of my life in his own bedroom when he’s had a rough day yesterday’. I would not take advantage of that." He shoots them both a glare, though it's mostly harmless._ _

_ _Covering her mouth in faux-shock, Aria gives a dramatically scandalized gasp. "So… you don't want to bone my brother at _all_?" she asks._ _

_ _Under his breath, Yakumo murmurs, "_Wow_, are they dangerous together…"_ _

_ _Rin immediately turns to Yakumo. "Did you say something, Yakumo?" he asks sweetly._ _

_ _"No!" Yakumo answers frantically. "Just remarking how glad I am to see you both with smiles on your faces. Because it's great. Right, Louis?"_ _

_ _Louis fails to respond. He keeps his face hidden behind his hands._ _

_ _With a soft chuckle, Yakumo muses, "You might have killed our shy friend here."_ _

_ _Aria approaches Louis and puts a hand on his shoulder. "Don't be embarrassed, Louis. We're just teasing you," she reassures him._ _

_ _Rin throws his arms around Louis’ shoulders, practically leaning over the couch to do so. "I love teasing you." He kisses Louis' temple._ _

_ _Sighing heavily, Louis removing his hands from his face. "I’ll get my revenge," he rumbles._ _

_ _"Oh I’m so scared," Rin mocks playfully, then presses a second kiss to Louis' face, going for his cheek this time._ _

_ _Yakumo chuckles warmly. "You should be. It's always the quiet ones you have to worry about."_ _

_ _As Aria leans against Yakumo, she smiles. "Which means you're completely harmless!" She pats his cheeks with both hands._ _

_ _"Oh please," Rin snorts. "What can Lulu do? He’s so patient with me."_ _

_ _Aria's lips curl into a wry smirk. "Gentleman in the streets, freak in the sheets." She shrugs nonchalantly._ _

_ _"_Aria_!" Louis scoffs._ _

_ _Despite the smile on Rin's face, he turns to Aria and sighs. "Ari, stop harassing my boyfriend. He’s getting distraught."_ _

_ _Aria's mouth falls open in shock. Rin had totally just called Louis his boyfriend. Quickly, the shock fades to a smile, which morphs to a smirk. "Oh, sorry, Sunshine. I won't hassle your boyfriend anymore."_ _

_ _Rin sticks his tongue out but it doesn't last when Louis pulls him down for an upside-down kiss._ _

_ _"I’m still plotting my revenge," Louis murmurs._ _

_ _Smirking, Rin sighs dreamily. "If they’re kiss related, I’ll happily pick on you some more."_ _

_ _"And that's how you keep yourself out of their line of fire," Aria muses to Yakumo in a whisper, as she kisses him on the cheek._ _

_ _Yakumo laughs quietly. "You're amazing."_ _

_ _Rin finally pulls away from Louis. "So, um, I didn’t actually eat breakfast. A.k.a, I’m starving," he says simply, then pauses like he's leading Aria._ _

_ _Fortunately, Aria catches the drift loud and clear, and is happy to provide. "Cold eggs is hardly a good breakfast," she says as she eases from Yakumo's arms. "Why don't I make something fresh? I didn't eat much of mine either so… extra bacon for everyone? Even those of us who've already eaten?" She kisses Rin's cheek as she bounds to the kitchen._ _

_ _Rin beams, and the sight of it warms Aria's heart to the core._ _

_ _With a chuckle, Louis nods. "Sounds good. Thank you."_ _

_ _"What kind of idiot would say no to an offer like _that_?" Yakumo asks._ _

_ _As Aria cooks, a sense of ease washes over her. Things still aren't _perfect_, and she's sure there are still some issues that need working through, but she's officially ready to start the day with a much better outlook than she thought she'd have. As the boys fall back into easy and comfortable conversation like nothing had ever happened, a sense of hope, unlike anything she's ever felt before bubbles up in her chest._ _

_ _She smiles and sings as she cooks, allowing herself to enjoy the happiness while it lasts._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We couldn't make the twins stay mad at each other for long! It didn't feel right. XD


	30. Rin & Louis (III)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis eats a fine cuisine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's sexual content in this chapter. It's implied but there's there so be warned!

Louis’ heart races for reasons he cannot explain. Today is Aurora’s surprise birthday party; it’s something he’s been fully aware of for the past two months when Karen started planning it. The truth is, though, today is  _ more  _ than just Aurora’s birthday. Karen has a special surprise waiting for her, a surprise Louis is all too familiar with. After all, he spent the better part of a whole year helping Karen shop for the right  _ ring _ to give to Aurora.

Now that the day has finally arrived, Louis is nervous. He feels silly for it, but he is.  _ He’s  _ not the one proposing to Aurora, but there’s something about the idea that ties his stomach up in knots. He suspects it has everything to do with  _ Rin _ .

Earlier this morning, when the sun was barely past the horizon, Louis was in a panic. Waking up the way he did, feeling so aroused and  _ comfortable _ in Rin’s embrace was unlike anything he’s ever experienced before. Naturally, it scared him. Regardless of what Yakumo says and Aria’s teasing remarks, Louis is very much afraid of what his desire for Rin means. 

Despite his promises to Rin, his reassurances, there’s a part of Louis that  _ is  _ scared of what it means to love. There  _ is  _ a part of him that worries—agonizes, actually—that maybe  _ Rin  _ doesn’t feel the same way.

_ “I’m sorry that I can’t say it back. I don’t even know what love is supposed to feel like.” _

Rin’s words from last night replay in his mind. He swallows the lump of anxiety forming in his throat and busies himself with fixing his dress clothes for tonight.

He loves Rin. Truly. Wholly. Deeply. Louis has never felt this way about anyone before. The closest he’s ever come to  _ something  _ akin to love was back in high school when he tried his damndest to help Cruz. She walked away from him then, and idly, Louis wonders if history would repeat itself.

Louis shakes his head and takes a deep breath. What he feels for Rin isn’t the same as he did for Cruz. He does not pity Rin. He has faith in strength, just as he has faith that Rin will someday love him in return. Right now, though, Louis will play his part. He will be Rin’s pillar, give him the hand he needs, the comfort he desires, and love him wholly and unconditionally.

Taking another deep breath, Louis exhales and stares into his own reflection. He prays he has enough willpower tonight to resist his sexual desire for Rin.

* * *

Rin’s banner hangs above Ichor’s stage in all of its glory, surrounded by balloons and strategically placed lights. Louis has only seen the banner once, on the day Rin delivered it to Karen and she showed him excitedly the moment she was able to. He didn’t get a good look at the time, but now, seeing it hang over the stage where both Aria and Eva will alternate sets every few hours, Louis can’t help but admire Rin’s art skills. It’s one of the many things Louis loves about him.

Louis glances around the bar in search of his sister. Just like the stage, the rest of the place is decorated in silver and gold. The bar, much to Louis’ amusement, is adorned with silver and gold tinsel, wrapped around the pillars. Streamers streak across the ceiling in impressive spirals. Vaguely, Louis wonders when Karen got the time to decorate the place with her busy schedule.

The place isn’t packed, not in the same way it is usually is during public working hours, but there’s already a large number of people occupying the private space. Most are people Louis is familiar with, but there are some he doesn't know. , The most important face he picks up from the growing group of attendees is Rin’s. 

With Aria and Eva already backstage, consulting the band, and Yakumo preparing the bar for tonight’s event, Rin is left idling alone at the far corner of the bar. He’s away from everyone, his lips pressed into an anxious thin line. Louis immediately gravitates toward him, drawn by more than his desire to ease his boyfriend’s anxieties.

“You look like you’d rather be anywhere but here,” Louis teases him the moment he’s within earshot. “Which is unusual because the bar is right next to you.”

The relief in Rin’s eyes is almost palpable. He clings onto Louis’ arms and pulls him closer as though he’s trying to use Louis’ body to shield him from the rest of the crowd. Louis wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case. Rin doesn’t know anyone here save for the Ichor employees, but more than that, Louis suspects Rin’s discomfort has less to do with stranger anxiety and more to do with the fact that the number of same-sex couples is much higher, even for Ichor’s standards.

“I didn’t want to drink  _ too  _ much today,” Rin murmurs with a small grin. “But, um, shouldn’t your sister be here too?”

Louis glances around the bar again, unable to find the familiar brown bob of his sister in the crowd. “I’m going to assume,  _ hope _ , even, that she went to retrieve Aurora.” Louis muses. “Aurora can get lost in her work sometimes.”

“Wow, that sounds familiar.”

Louis chuckles and plants a gentle kiss to Rin’s temple. Louis can feel the heat of Rin’s blush against his lips and another smile threatens to overtake him. He holds Rin close, enjoying the smaller boy’s presence.

He’ll give Karen another fifteen minutes before he calls her up. He knows how Aurora is; she can spend _weeks _getting lost in her work just as Rin is capable of forgetting time itself, but Karen is… another matter entirely. He’s not saying she’s easily distracted but, well, she _is_ easily distracted in all things regarding _Aurora_.

“Not to be, uh,  _ that  _ person but…” Rin’s voice snaps Louis back to reality. “Uh… there’s… there’s a  _ lot  _ of, um, people of particular interest here.” Rin mumbles. Louis doesn’t need him to explain in order to understand what he  _ means _ .

Louis pulls away delicately, enough to get a better few of Rin’s expression. He gives Rin a soft, worried look, and brushes a knuckle gently against Rin’s cheek. “Is it too much? You’ve had an exhausting few days, Rin. Karen will understand if you need to rest or feel uncomfortable. I promise you that.”

Rin leans into Louis’ touch, and the sight of it makes something warm and fuzzy light up in the pit of Louis’ stomach. “I’m… I’m okay,” He breathes quietly, eyes fluttering shut as he leans heavier into Louis’ hand. “I won’t be dancing, that’s for sure, but I… want to be here with… with you.”

“If you get tired—”

“I’ll let you know,” Rin interjects with a warm smile. Without warning, he leans into Louis and captures his lips for a soft kiss.

It’s supposed to be chaste, soft and sweet, but a fire ignites in the pit of Louis’ stomach. He returns the kiss with more heat than he means to. A moan—or what Louis  _ thinks  _ is a moan—escapes Rin’s mouth, fueling Louis’ desire. Without realizing what he’s doing, Louis shoves Rin against the wall, using it as leverage to crane Rin’s neck in such a way that allows Louis to deepen the kiss. Rin moans again into their kiss, and this time, it’s unmistakable.

Louis pulls away, breathlessly, and presses his heated forehead against Rin’s.

“Sorry,” He murmurs. “I don’t know what came over me.”

Rin’s response is a breathless laugh. He wraps his arms around Louis’ neck, trying to pull him closer again for another kiss, but Louis resists. 

“I say you should do it again.” He grins impishly.

“Later,” Louis promises. He leans in for another kiss, but this time it  _ is  _ chaste, before pulling away from Rin completely. “Definitely later. I need to, um, I need to call Karen. S-see where she is currently.” He coughs into his fist in an effort to regain some sort of self-control. “I’ll be quick, I promise.”

Rin doesn’t look happy being left on his own again, but just as Louis feels guilt building up in his chest, Rin turns his attention toward the bar where Yakumo has  _ finally  _ finished sitting up. With a relieved sigh, Louis makes his way through the crowd and out onto the streets.

The cool night air is refreshing on his overheated skin, and he takes a few deep gulping breaths to soothe his wildly beating heart. Louis feels ridiculous for getting so aroused with just a kiss. It’s childish, isn’t it? To get so worked up over a few deep kisses. He’s not sure what to do with himself or how to handle his feelings. He’s never been in a situation like this before, not even growing up. When all the other kids went through puberty and shared stories of their experiences, Louis couldn’t relate. He didn’t feel the same way about strangers as the rest of his peers did, and even as he reached the age of adulthood, he still didn’t.

But  _ Rin _ makes him feel all sorts of things in such a short span of time that Louis feels almost overwhelmed with the realization of it all. Spending time with him in the past month or so, has taught Louis so much that he feels he understands what his peers meant, all those years ago. Now that he knows, Louis can’t control his body anymore.

He sighs in frustration, mentally berating himself to  _ get a grip _ . Today is Aurora’s birthday, it’s not a day where he can do what he wants. Rin’s T appointment was only  _ just  _ yesterday, he’s sure there’s a certain amount of time Rin has to wait before they can even  _ think  _ to do anything.

Just as Louis paces along the sidewalk, unaware of his surroundings, a familiar voice penetrates his racing thoughts:

“Wow Lu, you look like you could use a cigarette right about now.”

Louis stops in his tracks and spins on his heel in the direction of the voice. Aurora laughs goodnaturedly in the face of his shock while Karen merely watches him curiously.

“I’d offer you one, but your sister would kill me,” Aurora continues, giving him a wink.

“I certainly would, even on your birthday,” Karen smiles, deceptively sweetly. She turns her attention back toward Louis and asks, “Were you waiting for us? I told you I’d bring her in time!”

“N-no, well, yes, but—” Louis stops himself before he spirals out of control. It’s one of the many habits he’s picked up from Rin, and while it’s cute when  _ Rin  _ does it, it only serves to embarrass him in front of Karen and Aurora. “I needed to clear my head and refocus.”

“Refocus, huh?”

“My, that sounds serious.”

Louis can’t keep himself from rolling his eyes at the sound of their playful tones. It reminds him of earlier this morning, when Aria teased him about needing to “refocus” after waking up with an unexpected—and perhaps somewhat unnecessary—erection. He’s almost relieved he didn’t get the chance to tell Karen and Aurora the story. Neither of them are above making fun of him, and if Louis has to deal with Aria and Yakumo joking about it for days, he’d much rather keep the story to himself for the rest of forever, thank you very much.

Before Louis can come up with a response, Karen’s sweet smile turns devilish. “Is this about Rin?” It's an innocent enough question, but coming from Karen, Louis knows better. “It seems like he’s the only one to get you so overwhelmed these days.”

“Am I finally going to meet this infamous boy?” Aurora muses with a smirk of her own. “I’ve heard so much about him and yet, I’ve never once seen him on campus.”

“He’s here,” Louis says, almost cautiously as he watches their expressions carefully. “His T appointment was yesterday and he’s had a rough week, so just… don’t freak him out.” Louis feels like a child again, telling Karen not to embarrass him in front of his homeroom teacher. She laughed at him then just as she does now, only this time, Aurora joins her.

“Must be serious,” Aurora smiles teasingly. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Lu look so concerned before.”

“Rin is special,” Karen beams. “You’ll like him! He’s a magnificent artist.”

“And you’re out here instead of inside with him because  _ why _ again?”

“I told you, I needed to refocus.” Louis sighs. 

Aurora’s eyebrows disappear into her hair. “Ah, yes. Refocus. That’s right.” Before Louis can get a chance to decipher the tone in Aurora’s words, she pulls away from Karen and rests her hands on Louis’ shoulder. She peers into his eyes through her round glasses, her expression surprisingly solemn. “Louis Amamiya, it is absolutely okay to feel aroused for a boy you have immense feelings for. It is perfectly natural and I am  _ so proud _ .”

“ _ Aurora, please! _ ” Louis exclaims, feeling his face burning up. “That is the  _ opposite  _ of refocusing!”

“She is absolutely right, Louis,” His sister adds on sweetly. “Rin is very cute. If you feel you want to spend time with him today outside of the party, we won’t stop you, promise!” She winks.

With a wicked laugh from Aurora, Karen steers her into the bar for the surprise ahead, leaving Louis outside to cool down in the autumn night air.

* * *

Everything is a mess of noise and fanfare the moment the guest of honor steps into the bar. Amidst the joyous cheers of ‘happy birthday’ and ‘many well wishes’, Rin is finally rejoined with Louis. He looks less put-together now than he did when he left the bar like he’s been running his hands through his hair and clothes, but Rin doesn’t get the chance to ask if everything is okay because the next thing he knows, he’s coming face to face with Karen and Aurora.

Karen is a lot different outside of school. She’s less professional—less  _ intimidating _ —but her sweet and kind demeanor remain the same. There’s something familiar about it, though, and as Rin watches Aurora and Karen tease Louis, Rin realizes what it is. Karen is very much like Aria, just as sweet and doting, but it's the impishness in Karen’s eyes that  _ really  _ reminds him of his sister. It makes his interactions with them a lot more comfortable, and when both women get whisked away to greet the other guests, Rin feels far more relaxed than he did earlier.

Things get better throughout the evening. Aria is up on stage this round while Eva and Jack wish Aurora a very special birthday. Aria's voice carries across the room, keeping the energy high and festive. Yakumo is on full bartending mode, so even if Rin wants to grab a drink, he’ll have to wait behind a list of orders. He’s left alone with Louis, sitting at the table reserved for them specifically.

He sighs, long and loud, as Louis returns to their table carrying a plate of cake.

“Man, without someone to tease, parties are kind of boring when you don’t know anyone.” Rin laments.

Louis chuckles. “You don’t find teasing me entertaining?” He asks, sliding a slice of cake toward Rin. “It's yellow cake with vanilla icing.”

Rin beams. “Thank you!” Just before he digs into the cake, Rin stops himself. There’s only one serving of cake on the plate. Louis has nothing for himself. Rin frowns. “Uh, you’re not eating?”

“I have a different dessert in mind,” Louis muses cryptically. 

Rin’s frown intensifies. He uses his fork to break the tip of the cake off before popping it into his mouth. “You sure? This cake tastes really good.”

Louis leans in close to his ear, and murmurs, “I’m craving something a little more…  _ savory _ .” He nuzzles Rin’s neck and presses a soft, teasing kiss just below Rin’s earlobe.

Rin shudders, several ideas coming to mind.

“What’s with you today?” He laughs, he sounds breathless. He scoops another piece of cake into his mouth and says, “Not that I’m complaining, really, but you’re in a  _ mood _ .”

Rin’s cheeks burn hot when he feels Louis’ lips press against the crook of his neck again. He peppers Rin’s neck with hot, playful butterfly kisses.

“I’ve been… arguing with myself about it all day,” he explains against Rin’s skin. “And honestly? I’m tired of fighting it. I’ve never felt this…  _ heated  _ over someone before but I just know—” He carefully, slowly—teasingly—trails a finger down Rin’s thigh. “—that I have this  _ urge _ to be close to you. I’m done ignoring it, Rin.”

Rin flushes red, heat crawling up the nape of his neck. He lets Louis’ fingers roam up and down the length of his jeans, Louis’ touch somewhat muted thanks to the fabric. Rin shoves the remainder of the birthday cake into his mouth and glances around the room. Aria’s set is about to finish, and soon, Eva will be on stage. He doesn’t think anyone will notice if they leave, especially since Karen is happily distracted with Aurora, who is in the process of telling her crowd of guests a story of some kind. Yakumo is busy at the bar, and everyone else is either already stuffing their faces with the food they brought or the three-tier birthday cake Karen ordered for this special occasion.

Louis leans into him again, peppering his neck and shoulder with hungry, yet gentle butterfly kisses. Aurora hasn’t opened her gifts yet, there’s still thirty minutes left until she does, but Rin doesn’t think Louis has any more patience to wait for even  _ that  _ long.

“Do you wanna go home?”

Before he’s even done asking, Louis is already up and out of his chair. 

Offering his hand to him, Louis smirks, “Thought you’d never ask.”

Rin laughs again and takes his hand. “Oh man, I’m  _ really  _ excited now, Lulu.” He winks playfully.

It’s Louis turn to blush, but the smile he flashes makes butterflies flutter in Rin’s stomach. “Have I told you that I love you?” He asks innocently.

“You did, but reminders are nice,” Rin grins wryly.

They slip out of the bar and into the autumn night without detection.

* * *

Louis’ hands are all over him even before they make it through the door. Rin’s mind is already short-circuiting and has been since the start of their walk. Warmth washes over him as Louis steals his lips and devours his breath in desperate, heated kisses. Somehow, Rin manages to unlock the front door and they stumble through. Louis kicks it shut behind him and lets Rin lead the rest of the way through the apartment. They stumble up the stairs, nearly tripping over themselves more times than Rin cares to count. He’s distracted by Louis’ wandering hands. They’re hot and sweaty against Rin’s skin, yet despite the urgent need in Louis’ kisses, his hands don’t explore  _ enough _ .

Rin grabs Louis’ wrists and places his hands right against the curvature of Rin’s ass. The shocked, near-silent gasp Louis makes sends something red hot through Rin’s gut. He laughs breathlessly into their kiss, bites Louis’ lip and releases his hold.

“Don’t be afraid to grab what you want,” Rin urges him, breathlessly. Almost desperately.

“You sure?”

Rin nods and leans in for another kiss. He practically moans into Louis’ mouth when,  _ finally _ , his boyfriend squeezes. Louis pulls them flush together, haphazardly leading them into Rin’s room. They crash into the mattress, Rin on top of Louis, and it's then Rin can feel Louis’ arousal press against his navel again. Another spike of heat sears through the pit of his stomach. He jerks his hips, rubbing against Louis’ erection and relishing in the sweet, near desperate noise Louis makes.

Louis flips them over, pinning Rin’s hands against either side of his head.

“Hang on.” Louis leans into Rin and captures his lips. He pulls away just long enough to stare into Rin’s eyes. “There’s something I want to try. It’s… it’s supposed to feel good so just…” His brows furrow nervously. “Tell me if it doesn’t, okay? I’ve never done this before.”

Rin nods. “It-it’s okay” He chuckles breathlessly, just as anxious. “N-neither have I.”

Their lips connect again, this time the pace is slow. It’s sweet and tentative, filled with all the adoration and passion Louis has for him. It makes Rin melt, and when Louis pulls away, Rin chases after him. With a gentle hand against his chest, Louis urges him back down onto his back. 

Rin watches as Louis crawls between his legs; helps lift up his waist when Louis undoes the zipper on his jeans and tugs. Rin is burning hot now, skin flushed the deepest red possible. He tries to calm his mind; tries to silence the first whispers of doubt and anxiety mounting from the darkest part of his mind. He tries desperately to focus on the earnestness in Louis’ eyes. 

Louis carefully pulls off Rin’s jeans until his legs are free. He takes Rin’s left leg and plants butterfly kisses along the length of his thigh, drawing closer and closer to Rin’s burning warmth but never  _ truly  _ touching.

Suddenly, Louis’ red eyes meet Rin’s violet ones.

“Bear with me, okay? Tell me what you like and what you don’t. I want you to feel good.” He presses another kiss in the center of Rin’s thigh. “And if you feel uncomfortable,  _ tell me _ . Please.”

Rin swallows, throat dry. Breathlessly, he mutters: “Y-yeah. I will.”

Rin tries not to gasp when Louis finally peels away his underwear. He tries not to overthink; tries not to let those poison whispers ruin his high. He grips his sheets, trying his best to ground himself in the moment. He didn’t need to worry. The moment Louis’ mouth connects with his wet warmth, Rin’s mind blanks. 

His back arches off the bed as a moan rips out of him.

“Y-you okay?”

“Do it again,” Rin almost begs. “ _ Fuck _ , Louis, do it again, please!”

Louis laughs. “I barely touched you.”

“And it felt fucking amazing,” Rin moans, replaying the feeling in his mind. “Please, do it again.”

“I didn’t realize you were this sensitive,” Louis murmurs quietly. Rin doesn’t suppress the shudder that runs up his spin when Louis touches his wet folds again. “Wow. You’re… y-you’re—”

Louis doesn’t finish, and when Rin finally takes a peek in his direction, he understands why. Louis’ skin is a deep shade of crimson, his eyes heavily lidded. Rin can feel Louis’ thumb trace around his clitoris. It sends shockwaves of heat and pleasure through Rin’s body. He tries not to curl his legs inward, but it's almost impossible when his muscles don’t want to listen to him. Before he can get the chance to voice a whine, Louis goes down again and the tidal wave of  _ fire  _ he feels then steals all coherent thought from his mind.

* * *

He feels breathless. He’s sweaty and exhausted in the best way possible. Louis lays beside him, just as sweaty and breathless; just as red-faced and smiling dopily as he nuzzles into the crook of Rin’s neck. Rin feels a little silly for getting excited about what they’ve done. Getting eaten out and giving Louis an experimental handy is  _ nothing  _ compared to true penetrative sex, but to them, it was  _ everything  _ and  _ more _ .

Rin wants more. Craves it, even. The first bursts of heat and pleasure from Louis’ tongue on Rin’s wetness keep replaying in his mind. It probably doesn’t compare to the real deal, and as Rin recalls the weight of Louis’ length in his palm, how thick it was; how hard—it makes the burning heat inside him spark again. 

He hums thoughtfully, spinning around in Louis’ arms and burying his face into Louis’ broad chest.

“Let's do it again.” He asks almost innocently despite the devilish smile on his face.

Louis’ chuckle rumbles in his chest. “As much as I want to, I think you really need to rest. You still have your bandages from the operation.” As if to emphasize his point, he carefully taps the edges of the bandage taped to Rin's thigh. “We’ll have to clean the area and change it before you sleep.”

Rin groans. “But I  _ really  _ want to make love with you.”

Rin feels Louis freeze in his arms, but he’s relaxed again before Rin can make a comment. Louis holds him close, closer than before, and drops a fresh wave of kisses along Rin’s neck. “I desperately want to do the same, Rin, more than I realized,  _ but _ … we should take it slow. And…” When Louis finally pulls away far enough for Rin to see his face, his expression is both serious and soft. There’s a layer of concern in his eyes that has Rin worried. “I want to make sure you’re okay.”

“With what?”

“With everything. Me seeing  _ you _ , bare and beautiful. With  _ today _ , the birthday.  _ Everything _ .” 

Rin buries his nose into Louis’ chest, inhaling his scent and ignoring his racing heart. Louis’ fingers find their way into Rin’s hair, and he traces small circles against Rin’s scalp in soothing motions.

“Louis, I’m okay.” Rin assures him, and it does not surprise him in the least how honest his words are. “I’m  _ more  _ than okay actually. If you’re asking about the dysphoria, I’m okay. I’ll admit, I was worried about it earlier because I started thinking  _ things  _ but I told myself to focus on the here and now with you. And you just… made me feel good so I kinda just… forgot about it.” He glances up at Louis with bright eyes. “You made me feel sexy in my own body. Thank you.”

Louis kisses Rin tenderly on the forehead. “You don’t need to thank me for loving you.”

“As for everything else,” Rin continues, smile still warm and bright. “I actually felt like I belonged. I think… it’ll take time to  _ really  _ feel at home but… it didn’t feel too scary.” 

Rin snuggles into Louis’ warmth, too overwhelmed with emotion to probably verbalize anything more than that. It’s the first time in a very long time that he’s felt this safe and content with the world around him. It’s the first time in his entire life that Rin finally feels comfortable in his own skin, and though he knows this tranquility may not last, he’s grateful for the peace of mind.


	31. Quartet Shenanigans, Yaria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **CW:** Sexual jokes, deadnaming, misgendering, and a fist fight.

Aria isn't sure if this is going to become a thing, Yakumo staying the night at the apartment every night, but if it is… she isn't going to complain. She feels good with him. She feels unafraid. Like the world could keep throwing hit after hit her way and as long as she gets to go to sleep in his arms at the end of the day she'll be okay. The level of safety she feels when she wakes up in his arms is unlike anything she's ever felt before. Last night… she didn't wake up from a single nightmare. She didn't even have a single nightmare.

Though… wet dreams aren't necessarily any easier.

Truth be told, Aria can't remember the last time she _had_ a wet dream before last night. She remembers the one she had last night, though. Vividly. Yakumo had her pinned to the wall, Aria had her legs wrapped around his waist, and he was just… fucking her. Slow and sensually. His voice was a whisper in her ear, telling her how beautiful she was and how good she felt and it was just… _hot as hell_.

So hot that, when she woke up with his arms wrapped around her, she needed to rush down the stairs to take a cold shower. And that's how Aria's morning has been so far. A cold shower, followed by a hot cup of coffee and desperate-but-feeble attempts to chase the images in her dreams from her mind.

As Aria cooks the bacon to go into her waffle breakfast sandwich, she thinks back to the sighs that came from her dream self, as Yakumo fucked her into the wall. She shakes her head again. She has to clear her mind—or… 'refocus', as Louis would say—before Yakumo comes downstairs. Or even worse, before _Rin_ comes downstairs. He'll sense that something is off right away.

While the bacon sizzles, she globs another ladleful of batter into the waffle iron.

"Hey, brain? It'd be cool if you worked with me for once, instead of against me," Aria murmurs to herself.

The sound of footsteps bounding down the stairs catches her attention, and for a split second, she worries that she'll have to face Yakumo with a still-red face. She's about to rush toward the bathroom to splash some cold water on her cheeks when the footsteps stumble and a harsh crash into a nearby wall follows the sound.

Aria turns toward the sound and blinks in surprise as she hurries toward the door to the staircase. "Uh… everything okay over there?" she asks.

When she's about halfway across the living room, the door flies open and Rin appears. He clings desperately to the knob and looks like he's gasping for breath. "M-my legs forgot how to function," he murmurs as he turns to Aria. "Good morning."

Watching Rin with surprise in her eyes, Aria's mind cycles around and tries to figure out what could have caused him to stumble like that. The first thing she settles on are his pellets, but… "It's been two days since your implant…" she points out. "The reactions don't usually last this long. Should we call the doctor?"

"No! No, it’s fine," Rin says as he finally straightens himself and lets the door close behind him. He clears his throat and looks up to meet Aria's gaze. "I was just… thinking about stuff. Did I mention good morning? It’s a great morning. How are you, Ari?"

Aria blinks again, quirking her head curiously at Rin. "Not as good as you, apparently." She manages a chuckle, but curiosity doesn't fade from her face. "Good morning. Did… did something happen?"

Only then does she notice the bright red flush on Rin's cheeks. She gasps. "Did you feel Louis' morning wood this time?!"

Rin’s blush intensifies. "Wh-what? No! Probably. Maybe. It wasn’t unintentional…" he muses, trying to sound nonchalant.

"It wasn't unin— oh." She pauses, blinks, then straightens her posture. A huge smirk spreads across her face. "Oh! Ohh, gotcha. I won't beg you for details but I need you to know that I am completely and totally dying for them so if you don't give me any you will be killing your sister. Just… so you know."

Though Rin's face is still red, he heads for the kitchen. His step is much steadier this time. "So-so… we… got a little handsy last night after the party and he, um…" he collapses into a chair and sighs dreamily. "He ate me out, Ari and it was _amazing_."

The involuntary flash of jealousy that creeps up is easy enough to shake away. Easier than Aria expects it to be, actually. It's still there. It's in the back of her mind. At the moment, she's _significantly_ happier for Rin, because holy god if there is any boy in the world that needed some hanky panky, it's her dear, sweet brother. Aria smirks as she brings Rin's breakfast—pre-prepared, as usual, because she had a feeling he'd be down for it soon—to the table.

"It's about time," she teases, then laughs softly. "How… how did you feel, though?"

Rin doesn't seem distressed, and Aria takes heart in that fact. "I was worried at first. And, like, as it was happening, I started to notice where my thoughts were going and I just… I refocused myself. And it felt really good. I…" He stares up at her. "He made me feel beautiful. Wanted."

A proud, loving smile spreads across Aria's face. "You are beautiful. I'm glad you're finally realizing it," she tells him as she smooths his hair back and presses a kiss to the top of his head. "I'm proud of you, Sunshine. And _really_ happy for you."

She pauses and bites her lip. "And sorta jealous," she admits with a laugh at her own expense.

Rin blinks up at her, worried. "Jealous?"

Aria laughs, slightly more genuinely this time. "It's nothing major. I just uh… it's been a long time." She heads back to the waffle iron and opens it.

"Oh. I get it. You wanna ride Yakumo’s pogo stick," Rin muses casually. "If it's any consolation, Louis said he wants us to wait."

Aria shrugs. "It is, but it isn't? Like… how do I explain it?" She glances toward the door, her voice soft _just in case_ Yakumo comes down at the wrong time. Her face is fully red, but her back is turned. "I… had a dream last night."

"What kind of dream?" Rin asks as he eats.

With an awkward laugh, Aria shrugs. "Think of the context of this conversation, Sunshine. It won't take you long to figure it out," she half-jokes.

Rin goes quiet, then chuckles. "Oh. Go on."

The heat flooding Aria's cheeks intensifies. "It wasn't even like… _explicit_ or anything but he was just…" She eyes the door again, before warily continuing. "It was against the wall in my bedroom and I could hear everything and _feel_ everything and I had to take a _cold shower_ Rin." Her voice is louder than she expects, and she winces. "I swear to god if he comes downstairs right now I'm moving to the moon."

Chuckling, Rin teases, "You’re so _thirsty_, Ari."

"Wow. Coming from you… I'm really not sure how I feel about that." She laughs as she puts her sandwich together, then starts on the next serving of breakfast. She turns to Rin. "Is _Lulu_ still up there? Need to know how many I'm cooking for."

Rin ducks into his breakfast, blushing. "Y-yeah. He, um, he fell back asleep after the, uh… the morning handy." He coughs into his fist.

Aria laughs. "And he calls me thirsty." She starts two more helpings of bacon, then turns to smirk at Rin. "So. You've already had your second time, huh? Well… second time doing 'stuff', anyway."

"I got a little carried away teasing him," Rin mutters. "Um…"

Quirking her head curiously, Aria repeats, "Um?"

Rin turns bright red. "What’s… going to happen… when we _do_ do it?" he asks.

"Oh." She turns the stove down and hops up onto the counter again. "Well, it depends. It's, uh… there are a lot of different factors." She picks up her sandwich and takes a bite. "I guess the most important thing is… protection."

He chuckles softly. "I don’t think it really matters much. It’s not like I can get pregnant on T," he says nonchalantly.

Aria shakes her head. "No, that's uh… that's not true, Sunshine."

She frowns. It always hurts her to bring up the 'feminine' aspects of Rin's body that will stay 'feminine' unless Rin decides to remove them from the equation, but she knows that she wouldn't be a good sister if she didn't. She meets his gaze, her own expression serious as she continues.

"It's true that… the odds are _reduced_, but they aren't zero. Which means… you should probably use protection when the time comes or we can look into longer-lasting protection for you," she tells him seriously.

Rin frowns, obviously confused. "Okay."

Aria can't help but feel guilty, but she wouldn't be doing her job as a sister if she didn't prepare him for these things, and she knows it. "If you have a question, you don't have to be shy." She smiles lovingly. "You know I'm here for you."

"Yeah, I know." Rin returns her smile. "I just… find that hard to believe."

A frown tugs the corners of Aria's mouth down. "I know. But it's true. Back when you started transitioning… I did research." She chuckles nervously. "I just wanted to be prepared, you know? For everything. S-so… it's true. I'm sorry, I know it isn't what you want to hear."

Sighing wearily, Rin whines, "It’s okay. I was just hoping I could ride him raw."

With an amused laugh, Aria shrugs. "There are ways! A copper IUD, for one. I wear a hormonal one, which regulates me and protects me from getting pregnant but you couldn't do that because it'd mess with the T." She hops down from the counter, then flips the bacon and stirs the eggs around. "The copper one doesn't have any hormones, though, and it's like… pretty much a guaranteed sperm killer."

Rin groans. "This all sounds really complicated for a first time, Ari."

Laughing, Aria turns and flashes Rin a loving smile. "Which is why you should use protection. _Unless_ you go through… the other side? As long as he's clean, I mean," she shrugs as she peers at him over her shoulder.

Red dusts Rin's cheeks. "That… is an option…" he mumbles as he rubs his neck in embarrassment.

"I broke your brain, didn't I?" She laughs.

Rin shrugs. "I-I mean… I’ve… thought about that before… just… didn’t think Louis would be into it," he admits.

Aria nods in understanding. "I think… something you need to do is get comfortable talking about it with him." She smiles warmly. "Because one of the most important things about sex is communication, you know? Learning what each other likes, what each other doesn't like… what turns him on and what turns you on. You trust him, he trusts you, so even though it'll be embarrassing at first… I think you guys need to talk about it."

It's something Aria has never gotten to do herself. Rocky never wanted to talk about things, never wanted or cared to do what _Aria_ wanted. All he ever cared about was getting in and out, the way he wanted to. The way he grabbed her and manhandled her, sometimes she wonders if he even knows how to please women _to this day_. She shakes the thought of him quickly, before he has a chance to ruin her morning.

"I-I guess that's what he means by being ready…" Rin says quietly.

She smiles. "I knew he was good for you. This just proves it."

Rin hides his burning hot face behind his hands. Fortunately for him, they don't have a chance to dwell on the conversation any further. Seconds later, the stairwell door opens and Yakumo steps out. "Mornin' guys," he greets them, his cheeks slightly pink.

Quickly, Aria whirls around to focus on breakfast again. "G'morn," she mumbles.

Never before has she been so embarrassed by something involving sex. She isn't sure why it's such a big deal. Maybe it's because Yakumo doesn't want to rush and she doesn't want to rush him, either. Maybe it's because every time she rests her head against the hard muscle of his chest, she wonders how it would feel. Maybe it's because of the dream.

Aria suddenly understands exactly what Louis means when he says 'refocus.'

Quickly composing herself, Aria turns around and faces Yakumo with a more confident smile. An observant eye can see the pinkness dusting her cheeks, but she's thoroughly impressed with how she's managed to make herself look less idiotic.

"Breakfast's almost ready," she mutters.

Yakumo's voice sounds uncharacteristically quiet when he speaks up again. "Cool. I'll uh… be right back." Without another word, he excuses himself to the bathroom.

Aria blinks and looks toward the bathroom when the door closes, worry lining her eyes. She turns to Rin, knowing he's itching to make some kind of Rin-esque joke, and points at him. "Don't you dare," she warns.

Naturally, Rin doesn't listen. "You think he’s trying to 'refocus?'" He smiles smugly.

"Oh my god." Aria huffs and turns around. "What are we this morning, Horny House?"

With a smirk, Rin shrugs. "The Sahara Desert because you’re thirsty as _fuck_."

Aria scoffs and turns her back. "I swear to god, you get the slightest bit of hanky panky and you suddenly think you can lord it over my head." Though she's trying to sound indignant, she's fully aware it falls short.

"Well… I certainly picked an opportune moment to walk back into the conversation." Yakumo's voice echoes out through the living room and kitchen. "There was panky, hanky or otherwise, going on last night?"

The sound of Yakumo's voice makes Aria tense and her face heats up even more somehow.

"_No_!" Rin answers desperately.

Aria refuses to allow him to escape, especially with the way he'd just embarrassed her. "Yup," she corrects, nodding and sticking her tongue out at Rin. "I believe if you go upstairs, you'll see a _very_ exhausted Lulu in Rin's bed."

With a big grin on his face, Yakumo pats Rin on the shoulder. "Oh-ho! Nice, dude."

"Ari is exaggerating. He just took a brief nap," Rin says with a pout and bright red cheeks.

Yakumo smirks. "And that's why your face is turning that impressive shade of red?" he asks.

Flashing Yakumo a deadpan gaze, Rin smirks right back. "What about you, Yakumouthy? Did you have a _hard_ time getting out of bed this morning?" he fires back.

It shouldn't surprise Aria, the way Yakumo stutters and stammers over his words. He looks at Rin incredulously. "No!" he denies, his face is turning red all over again.

"Alright, alright, boys. Easy now," Aria teases with a chuckle as she brings Yakumo's plate to him, but she's blushing, too.

In a wry tone, Rin discards Aria's warning once again. "_Wood_ you please be so kind and hand me a napkin, Yakumo?"

Yakumo coughs and turning redder as he takes his plate. "Yeah, sure. You need it to wipe something _sticky_ off you?" He kisses Aria on the cheek before gathering two napkins for Rin. "Here. Y'might need two."

It seems like Rin sees the comment as a challenge. He takes the napkin with narrowed eyes. "Oh, I see. You want to play those games. Well, I’ve got news for you, Yakumouthy. I don’t know when to quit," he snarks.

"Dude. I was an _athlete_. We were trained to never give up," Yakumo declares as he meets Rin's gaze confidently.

Aria blinks. She's acutely aware that this situation runs a pretty big risk of embarrassing her right along with them. "Guys… come on."

Louis chooses that moment to join them, and he freezes when he notices Rin and Yakumo's competitive glares. "What am I walking into?" he asks.

"Trouble. You might want to take this and march back up the stairs before you get dragged into it," Aria warns him as she offers his plate out, but pauses and smirks when she sees the light purple marks on Louis' neck. "Or… _back_ into it, should I say…"

Confusion knits Louis' brow. "I was in it before?"

With a grin, Yakumo murmurs, "From what I hear."

Rin immediately flies out of his chair and rushes up to Louis, shoving him haphazardly toward the staircase. "HEY THERE'S THIS THING I WANT TO SHOW YOU UPSTAIRS, COME, COME, COME WITH ME!" He drags Louis up the stairs.

"Oh, c'mon, that's _too_ easy," Yakumo muses, then cracks his knuckles. He picks his fork up and finally starting to eat. Before Louis and Rin get too far, he calls up the stairs. "Nice neck. Didn't know Rin was a Hoover!"

Aria barely manages to stifle a giggle. "Well. Chances are… definitely above fifty-percent that they're gonna do it again."

"That or Louis will just be confused, and they can have the flip side of this conversation." Yakumo laughs.

Before Aria has a chance to reply, Rin rushes back down the stairs. He smooths out his pajama shirt and casually strides back into the kitchen, like he hadn't just clamored his way down the stairs. He slides into his chair and fixes Yakumo a smug look.

"This doesn't bode well…" Aria murmurs as she watches Rin cautiously.

Rin doesn't even acknowledge her. "My sister told me an interesting dream, Yakumouthy," he says.

Recoiling in horror, Aria hurries up to Rin and clamps a hand over his mouth. "No! Ignore him, you know how he is! About seventy five percent of what comes out of his mouth is gremlin talk." She laughs awkwardly.

Yakumo quirks his head curiously.

Slowly, Rin peels her hand away. Before she can even get a word of defense out, he rushes through an explanation. "She dreamt you fucked her against the wall, HAH! Take THAT for morning woodies!"

Aria turns the deepest shade of red anyone has probably ever seen and shoves Rin gently. "I… no I didn't… I… uh… _oh my god_." She wants to deny it, but at this point it's all but futile. Instead, she raises her hand and covers her face.

Through her fingers, she can see the redness rushing back to Yakumo's face. "Um…"

They're saved from the awkwardness by Louis, who chooses this moment to rejoin their conversation with his shirt buttoned up to the collar. "… did I miss something again?"

"No!" both Aria and Yakumo reply sharply.

With a frantic laugh, Aria shakes her head. "No, no, no, everything is fine. Sit. Eat. I hear you're _good_ at that, Lulu," she teases.

Louis' face is completely neutral when he joins them at the table. "Would seem so. Rin came more times than I cared to count last night," he rebuts, completely deadpan.

The whole room is silent for a few seconds too long. Aria watches in amazement as Rin buries his face behind his hands.

"This is fantastic Aria, thank you," Louis says, completely unfazed as he eats his breakfast.

Aria can't help but be amazed. "Uh… y-yeah, no sweat," she stammers.

Louis finally looks up at them, a forkful of eggs halfway into his mouth. "Something wrong?" he asks.

"Nope!" Aria turns back to the counter and shakes her head sharply. "Nope, nothing at all. Everything is peachy keen, jelly bean! Right, Yakumo? Right, Rin?"

Yakumo refuses to meet anyone's eye, but he murmurs his agreement before busying himself with eating his bacon. The only sound Rin makes is an impressive imitation of a tea kettle steaming.

"S-so… if any of you guys need to use the shower… you're more than welcome to!" Aria laughs awkwardly again and turns her back, trying to hide her red face.

Louis chuckles. "So it’s fine for everyone to make jokes but the one time I say facts, everyone is too embarrassed to laugh. Does this mean I win?" he muses.

With an awkward laugh of his own, Yakumo scratches the back of his neck. "Well, I dunno about anyone else, but I certainly feel like a loser."

"Congratulations, not only did you win… whatever this was… but you won the lottery by landing my brother." Aria smirks and pats Louis on the shoulder.

Though the smile on Louis' face is his usual kind smile, there seems to be something devilish in his eyes. "Thank you, Aria. But I’m most curious to hear about your dream," he leads.

"No! No, no, no, _no_, no… it's okay, it's _definitely_ okay." She holds her hands up in surrender. "I don't think anyone else is interested in hearing about that, so I'll just… keep it to myself for now."

"Yakumo seems interested," Louis points out.

Yakumo shoves Louis' shoulder and buries his face in his hands. "Dude."

Louis laughs genuinely.

"Well… you can't always get what you want, can you?" Aria smiles dangerously.

Chuckling again, Louis nods. "A story for another day, perhaps."

Aria finally exhales. "Yeah, definitely. A day when Rin isn't making his Louis Sound." She gestures at Rin.

Yakumo turns to Rin and raises his hand. "You ever feel like you're out of your league when dealing with these two?" he asks in a stage-whisper.

All Rin can manage is a nod. His face is still hidden behind his hands.

Smirking, Aria nods. "That's a good fear. That fear will keep your ego protected." She looks at Louis. "Right, Louis?"

Louis smirks too. "Right."

The teakettle sounds continue to pour from Rin's mouth, and Aria chuckles fondly. She leans down and kisses her brother on the cheek. "Don't worry. I don't think Louis or I would ever truly gang up on you." She looks at Yakumo, her eyes glinting devilishly. "_You_ on the other hand."

"Hey!" Yakumo pouts.

Aria still grins. "_You_ might be in a little trouble." She points a finger gun at Yakumo, then turns on her heel and heads back for the stove, looking at Yakumo over her shoulder. "Hope you're prepared."

Yakumo turns bright red, and a lopsided smirk crosses his face. "How am I supposed to prepare for _that_?" he asks.

Seeming to have found his confidence again, Rin slides something across the table. "You could use this. Oh no wait, that’s too small for you. Sorry man, you’re out of luck, then."

Louis looks shocked. "Where did you get a condom from?" he asks.

Aria's eyes shoot open.

Rin shrugs. “I found it stuffed under the door one day. I’m pretty sure our lovely neighbor, _Murasame_, passed it along, considering the sly smile she gave me through the window when I found it.”

Louis pinches the bridge of his nose. “She would,” he mutters.

"Wait… too _small_?" Aria blinks, turning her eyes toward Yakumo.

All of Yakumo's snappy comebacks seem to have disappeared now. The only response he can manage is a groan as he covers his face with both hands.

Rin snickers like the gremlin he is.

The rest of breakfast is filled with much of the same. Aria is still mortified, but she tries to let it slide off her shoulders as much as she can, so she can maintain normalcy with Yakumo. Especially now that he knows she had that kind of dream.

His embarrassed reaction doesn't really ease her mind, either. She knows he said he wanted her, when they were at the clearing last Thursday… but they hadn't really talked much about that ever since. She thinks about the advice she gave Rin, about communication, and immediately wishes she hadn't said it. Communication means… _communicating_, which means she actually has to take the initiative and mention it. Not in front of everyone, though.

Later tonight. After work. Maybe. If the mood is right.

~

The mood isn't exactly right when they get out of work. The bar was busy all night. Yakumo was so busy at the bar that he hadn't even gotten to take his mid-shift break. Aria can tell he's tired. He looks like he's falling asleep on his feet, but he's doing that thing he always does, and keeping that adorable, sorta dopey smile on his face… probably to try and keep her from worrying too much.

They walk down the sidewalk, hand in hand, and as Aria observes Yakumo's face, she can see the exhaustion drawing his eyelids down.

It's Sunday night, too, which means that he'll have almost no time to sleep before he has to get up and go to work in the morning. She leans into him, half for comfort and half in a feeble attempt to help prop him up.

Aria laughs halfheartedly. "Maybe _I_ should be the one walking _you_ home tonight."

"Nah, I'm okay." Yakumo laughs wearily, then wraps his arm around Aria's middle.

Shaking her head, Aria chuckles again. "No, you're not." She purses her lips. "Why don't you just… head home? I can make it home safe and—"

Yakumo rubs his hand up and down his arm. "I'm good, Ari, I promise," he reassures her, a warm smile on his lips. "Might just have to show up late to work tomorrow, but I have some paid time off, so… it should be okay."

"I just don't want you to be too tired, that's all. You work so hard," Aria says as she leans against him.

With a soft chuckle, Yakumo shrugs. "That's what I've been told. Louis tries to get me to cut back my hours working security, but I can't really do that, y'know? Gotta pay the bills," he muses.

Aria frowns. "Yeah, well… you work yourself into exhaustion and those bills are gonna pile up while you're in the hospital recovering." She pauses, laughing when she realizes the irony of what she's saying. "Which probably sounds kinda rich coming from me, huh?"

Yakumo smirks affectionately. "Well, I wasn't gonna say anything, but…"

"Y'know what I think?" she asks.

"What?"

Aria nudges him gently with her shoulder. "I think you should let me take care of you a little bit. You've been… so great. You've taken such good care of me ever since we met, making sure I'm always okay, looking out for me, being there for me… I think you should let me have a turn. Hm?" She smiles up at him.

He kisses the top of her head. "Still don't know what I did to deserve such an amazing girl, but… you gotta tell me so I can keep doing it," he says with a chuckle.

"I think I kinda just did, Dream Maker." She laughs.

Arching an eyebrow, Yakumo turns to her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Aria pokes him in the side, then grins as he squirms. "I mean… you've taken care of me since we met, Yakumo. You've been so amazing. Just… keep being you, okay? That's all you gotta do to keep me around," she reassures him.

Puffing out a breath of laughter, Yakumo shrugs a shoulder. "First she tells me to take it easy, then she tells me to keep taking care of her. Which one do I listen to?"

She scoffs and tickles him in the side. When he tries to escape her pinching tickles, she chases him down playfully. "How about _both_, hm? Just… keep being the Dream Maker I've fal—gotten so comfortable around… and I'll do my best to be your dream girl, too. Okay?" 

She hopes it isn't too obvious what she was going to say when she cut herself off, but if it is, Yakumo doesn't make a big deal of it. Instead, he simply turns her in his arms, tilts her head up, and captures her lips in a slow and tender kiss. 

"You say that like you've gotta try, Heartbreaker." He pushes her hair behind her ear, and pulls her closer to his side. "_Speaking_ of dreams, though…"

Aria buries her bright red face in his side. "Hey, even better idea! Can we just… pretend that didn't happen? 'Cause I think that's what we should do," she declares.

Yakumo laughs softly. "So, it's true, then? Rin wasn't trying to mess with me?" he asks.

"Oh, he was trying to mess with you, absolutely." Aria sighs and nods against his side. "But yeah. It was true. I, Aria Frey, had a dream that you were nailing me against the wall in my bedroom."

In a quiet, sheepish tone, Yakumo replies, "For me, it's always in that clearing. What would've happened if I hadn't stopped you." He laughs awkwardly.

Aria tenses for a split second, but then looks up at him with curious eyes and a playful smile. "You too, huh?"

Nodding, Yakumo worries his lip. "I wasn't kidding when I said I wanted you like crazy, Ari. Just… want to make sure it's the right moment," he reassures her.

Aria smiles as she lowers her head again and relaxes against his side. The right moment. It's really naive, and innocent, to think that some 'perfect moment' will come out of nowhere, but that's one of the things she finds the most charming about Yakumo. Despite his imposing figure and his strength, he's genuinely, truly one of the sweetest people Aria has ever known. He's a romantic. He likes things like picnics in clearings and he kisses her like she's the only woman he'll ever want.

Everything he does makes her feel so good. So amazing.

It's almost enough to make her forget about those voices in her ear. Almost enough to make her forget about—

And that's when she hears it. From behind them, a few yards down the block, she hears a voice that she hasn't heard in ages, and one of two people with the power to make every ounce of confidence she's cultivated over the past few weeks come crashing down at her feet.

"Well, well, well if it isn’t Aria Frey."

Rocky Rosé. Aside from Rin's suicide attempt, Rocky is the ghost from Aria's past that haunts her the most. A simple look, a simple word from Rocky is enough to send Aria reeling. The sound of his voice, the way her name sounds as it tumbles from his lips effortlessly, makes bile rise in Aria's throat and a cold, unpleasant shiver shoot up her spine.

Aria almost trips. In fact, she's decently sure the only thing keeping her from tripping and landing flat on her face on the pavement is Yakumo's arm around her. At first, she contemplates looking over her shoulder, contemplates flipping Rocky off, contemplates any sort of reaction, but that familiar voice permeating what was formerly a comfortable moment takes away any of her usual snappy commentary. She feels sick. She wants to run. She wants to react in _some_ way, but she can't seem to find anything.

Fortunately, it seems Yakumo has her covered.

In a rumbling, low voice, Yakumo turns to Rocky. "Thought I told you to leave them alone," he snaps as he pushes Aria behind him.

The words snap Aria back to reality, partially. How does Yakumo know who Rocky is or what he looks like? How could he have told Rocky anything? The questions are on the tip of her tongue, but before she has a chance to even attempt to find them, Rocky speaks up again and she freezes.

"Relax, I just want to have a nice conversation with my ex," Rocky announces nonchalantly.

"Bold of you to assume I have anything to say to you."

The tone of Aria's voice surprises her. It's meek. Quiet. She doesn't sound like Aria Frey. At least not the version of herself that she's grown into. She sounds like the teenage girl who sat alone in her foster homes waiting for her brother to come home and keep her company because she had no friends, no one to talk to.

Yakumo seems to notice, so he speaks up for her again. "There, see? Conversation over. Now leave." He narrows his eyes in a silent threat.

Rocky holds his hands up in mock-placation, though his expression doesn’t match the gesture. "I said relax there, _buddy_. Ain’t no reason to get hostile over a lil’ conversation. I just wanna see how good ol’ Aria is doin’, that’s all. Is that a crime?" he asks, casting Yakumo a fake smile.

Agitation rises in place of Aria's fear. She doesn't want to let Rocky, of all people, push her back into that frame of mind. Not again. "I'm fine, no thanks to you. Now if you'll excuse us."

Yakumo starts to usher Aria away. "Yeah, c'mon, Ari. No need to waste our time."

With a mocking chuckle, Rocky rolls his eyes. "Fine, as you wish, but I was just wondering if Lexxie passed on my message. Or if she chickened out at the last minute like she always does," he comments dismissively.

Aria stops suddenly, then whirls toward Rocky. The way he refers to Rin, the way he _deadnames_ Rin, just like he always used to… it makes her stomach turn. She remembers the last time, the way he promised never to do it again if she just—

The thought makes her blood run cold, and she shakes her head hard to dispel it, amethyst eyes narrowing angrily. She tries to rush forward to slap him, to kick him in the nuts, to do _something_, but before she can even take a single step, Yakumo places his hand on her shoulder. "Hey! Let me go, he doesn't get to talk about my brother like that and—"

"I know." Yakumo's tone is gentle. His eyes are somehow still calm, but Aria can see that he's just barely containing his _own_ fury. "But don't, okay? He's not worth it."

Aria scoffs, but nods and turns to Rocky. "For what it's worth, Angry Inch, Rin is _twice_ the man you'll ever be. You wish you could be as amazing as he is," she snaps.

"C'mon, Aria, just ignore him, okay?" Yakumo slides his arm back around her.

As much as it annoys her, Yakumo is absolutely right. "Ugh. Yeah. Yeah, okay," she huffs.

Rocky chuckles darkly. "Figured as much. Just as compliant now as you were back then whenever your sister got involved." He turns his back to them, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Tension ripples through Yakumo's body and he completely freezes, like he's having a harder time restraining himself than he anticipated.

"It's what I liked most about you, really. Ready and willing so long as anyone was nice enough, but I can see I’ve got no business here." Rocky waves a hand over his shoulder, as though he were the one dismissing them. "Have fun while it lasts, Bartender. At least there’s still one twin left to fuck, even if she’s already fucking damaged."

Yakumo steps away from Aria and crosses the distance between where they stood and Rocky with a speed unexpected of someone his size. He doesn't attack from behind, which, were Aria any less shocked by everything happening, could probably be seen as honorable. Instead, he grabs Rocky's shoulder, whirls him around, and punches him so hard that after the impact, he shakes his fist a few times.

Everything happens so quickly from there that Aria's mind struggles to catch up. Rocky tackles Yakumo, they have what _almost_ looks like a stupid schoolyard brawl on the sidewalk for a few seconds. Yakumo lands a few punches, Rocky lands a few punches, and the whole thing attracts way too much unwanted attention.

Aria thinks she sees someone across the street reaching for their phone, and that's what finally snaps her back into reality.

"Shit." She reaches down and grabs Yakumo's shoulder, trying to pull him back. "Hey. Hey! Unless you two want to spend the rest of the night in jail, I suggest you cut the shit!"

As she gets closer to the fight, trying to pull Yakumo away, she ends up nearly catching an errant fist in the face from Rocky. That's what makes the fight stop. Yakumo freezes, catching one last fist in the eye, and Aria shakes off the surprise at nearly getting punched, but tugs at Yakumo's shoulder once again.

Yakumo looks at her, eyes wide. "Shit… Aria, I—"

Aria silences him with a serious look. "Not right now." She turns to Rocky. "Go home, Rocky. Or go somewhere. I don't care where you go. Just get the fuck away from me."

"Likewise, bitch." Rocky spits blood onto the sidewalk and walks away without looking back.

It takes everything Aria has, but she manages to stand tall in spite of the familiar feeling hearing the word "bitch" in Rocky's voice shoots down her spine. She swallows back emotion—what emotion, she isn't entirely sure, but she'll be damned if whatever it is makes her cry in front of the few people who'd stopped to watch—and turns to Yakumo.

"We should get out of here."

Shame lowers Yakumo's voice. "R-right…"

For a few minutes, their walk is silent. Aria's mind is swirling around, trying to come to grips with what just happened. When realization finally dawns on her, she turns to look at Yakumo, moves to stand in front of him, and stops in her tracks.

As she examines his face, she smiles bitterly. "He's not worth it, huh?" she asks.

Yakumo frowns. "I'm sorry, I just—"

Shaking her head, Aria gathers a napkin from her purse and wipes some blood from his cheek. "Don't be sorry. I… I should be thanking you, I think, I just… you didn't have to do that." She looks at his hand and frowns. "We should get you some ice."

"I couldn't…" Yakumo shakes his head. "I couldn't just stand there and listen to him talking about you, or about Rin, like that. I just… snapped."

Aria presses a gentle kiss to his uninjured cheek. "You did. But it's okay. He deserved it."

Realization seems to dawn on Yakumo then, and he winces. "What if he calls the cops? I've got a record already, and—"

With a bitter laugh, Aria shakes her head and urges Yakumo to continue their trip home. "He won't. He's got one, too," she explains.

"Oh."

Aria nods. "Yeah." She turns to look at Yakumo. "He mentioned something about seeing Rin around. Did you know anything about that?"

Yakumo doesn't answer. Instead, he turns to look away and frowns.

A frown pulls Aria's lips downward, too. "I'll take that as a yes. Were you guys ever planning on telling me?" she asks.

Shaking his head, Yakumo sighs. "We agreed that it'd be for the best if you didn't know. I… just wanted to keep you safe," he explains.

In spite of herself, and in spite of the mild sense of frustration she feels at being the last to know about the fact that Rocky was around again, she can't help but smile. Never in her life has she ever had people so determined to look out for her. There's always been Rin, but Rin, as far as she knows, has always stopped short of getting into actual fights to protect her. Yakumo… is amazing in an entirely different way. He's the best person to come into her life since Rin, and Rin has been there since she was two minutes old.

She links arms with Yakumo, carefully avoiding touching his injured hand. "Let's get you patched up, okay?" she murmurs.

"Okay." Yakumo smiles, though shame still dances in his eyes.

"And tomorrow… you should call out of work. I'll skip class, and we can just… spend the day together."

With a smirk, Yakumo meets her gaze. "I get into a fist-fight, and somehow you're still the bad influence," he chuckles.

Aria laughs, too. "Not the first time I've heard that, Dream Maker. Was that a yes, then?"

"Yeah, that was a yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next few chapters have some really heavy themes, so just be prepared for them, please! ♥


	32. Rin's Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something wakes Rin up in the dead of night. At first, he's not sure what it is, and he lays in bed, graciously willing for the sweet embrace of sleep to claim him again… until he hears a loud thump from downstairs. Something slams shut—the front door he realizes—but that’s not unusual. Aria comes home late on the weekend, thanks to her job. He almost resettles into bed when another thought crosses his mind. 
> 
> She doesn’t slam the door when she comes home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh angst!! TW for some implied bad things!!!!

Something wakes Rin up in the dead of night. At first, he's not sure what it is, and he lays in bed, graciously willing for the sweet embrace of sleep to claim him again… until he hears a loud  _ thump _ from downstairs. Something slams shut—the front door he realizes—but that’s not unusual. Aria comes home late on the weekend, thanks to her job. He almost resettles into bed when another thought crosses his mind. 

_ She doesn’t slam the door when she comes home. _

He glances at the clock on his nightstand. It’s far too early in the morning for Aria to only  _ just  _ be getting home. With a barely concealed yawn, he climbs out of bed, pockets his phone, and heads downstairs. 

The moment he pokes his head out from the stairway door, he’s immediately blinded by the living room lights. Rin shields his eyes as he steps into the living room, searching for Aria. He finds her in the kitchen with Yakumo. His eyes nearly bug out of his skull at the sight of him. 

Yakumo is a  _ disaster _ . He’s covered in bruises and scratches, with blood still smeared along his skin and lips. Rin isn’t sure if the blood is Yakumo’s or someone else's. Aria looks stressed, like all the anxiety she’s built up inside is finally taking its toll.

“You guys look like a mess,” Rin starts, announcing his presence. “What happened? Yakumo, you look like you got your ass kicked by a bear.”

“I wouldn't call him a bear,” Yakumo states. He grimaces when Aria touches a cotton ball to the open skin under his cheek.

“Nah, more like…” She flashes a pointed look in Rin's direction. “A rock.” She turns back to Yakumo, dabbing at the cut again. “At least a person with as much intelligence as a rock.”

Anxiety shoots into Rin’s veins. He hides his nerves behind a laugh. “Y-yeah, they’d have to be in order to get into a fight with Yakumo.” He quips. He steps into the kitchen to better inspect Yakumo’s injuries and crosses his arms over his chest. “So, what happened?” He asks again, though a part of him dreads to hear Aria’s answer.

“We ran into Rocky,” Aria says flatly. Rin hates how exhausted she sounds. It pains Rin that Rocky still has that kind of power over her, even after all these years.

Rin stiffens, his chest feeling tight all of a sudden. He clears his throat in an effort to keep cool, but he can already feel the cold sweat on his back. “W-what?”

“We were walking home, talking, you know, just… enjoying each other's company, and then out comes Rocky.” Yakumo sighs. “He starts talking trash on your sister, on you, on both of you—” He winces again. “—and…”

“And Yakumo took care of it.” Aria shrugs. “Even though he'd  _ just _ told me that Rocky isn't worth it.”

“Well, I couldn't just sit there and let him—”

“I know. We had this conversation, remember?” She laughs, though she still sounds exhausted. “It was supposed to be a joke. The only thing I'm… not even  _ mad _ about, but concerned about, I guess… is that the two of you hid it from me.” She looks at Rin again. “That he's been around for a few weeks now.”

Rin grimaces, a wave of guilt and terror washing over him. “I-I mean… h-he’s kinda… he’s sorta… he’s technically my classmate so…”

It's Aria’s turn to stiffen. “So, that's why you never want me to pick you up at your lit class?”

Rin licks his dry lips anxiously. “I didn’t want you to worry and, besides, Louis is with me too so it wasn’t really an issue. I knew the moment he saw you, he’d start his B.S. all over again. That’s why I asked Yakumo not to tell you that he was around.”

“Has he been bothering you?” She asks, gathering an ice pack from the freezer and forcing it into Yakumo's hand.

He hisses painfully and mutters a quiet “easy...” under his breath.

Aria huffs, her annoyance clear as day, but her expression softens in apology. “Sorry. I just…” She shakes her head. “Sorry.”

“It's okay.” Yakumo holds onto the ice pack. “Don't blame Rin. He was just trying to look out for you.”

Her frustration returns and the expression on her face makes Rin’s chest tighten more. “I know. Guess it's… a taste of my own medicine or something, right?” She laughs humorlessly, then glances at Rin in a silent apology. 

“It’s… it’s okay.” He laughs weakly. “A-and to answer your question, he doesn’t  _ really  _ bother me. Just… asks about you once in a while. He doesn’t go out of the way to hunt me down like he used to.”

Aria blinks in surprise. “Used to?”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, all eyes are on him. It doesn’t make his anxiety any better.

“You said 'like he used to.'” Yakumo repeats, using one hand to form air quotes. 

Rin blinks. “I did??” His heart is beating wildly in his chest now. This slip up doesn’t bode well for him, and the longer they stay on this topic, the more terrified Rin feels. 

“When was this?” Aria asks. The look on her face is difficult to describe. It seems confused, angry, maybe even slightly betrayed. It only serves to amplify Rin’s guilt.

“I-I don’t know! You’re asking me to remember something I didn’t even  _ know  _ was a thing.” He bites out, desperately trying to keep from drowning on his own emotions. Tears spring to his eyes as his lungs constrict, squeezing the air out of his chest. “I-I-I only have one class with the guy. Our encounters were few and far between! I barely recognized him! D-don’t blame  _ me  _ for something I didn’t do, okay?!”

Aria is across the room in a heartbeat. She wraps her arms around Rin and shakes her head.

“No, no. No, I'm not blaming you, Sunshine, I'm sorry.” She whispers comfortingly into his ear. “I'm sorry.” She hugs him tightly, and Rin holds her like his life depends on it. “I'm not mad at you, okay?”

“O-okay, okay,” He wheezes. “Y-you sure?”

“A hundred percent.” She pulls back from the hug and places a hand on either side of his face. “I blame him, and suddenly I wish that I  _ hadn't _ broken up that damn fight. Four, seven, eight. Remember, Sunshine? Four, seven, eight.”

She counts him through a couple of breathing exercises, but it doesn’t lighten the pressure in his chest. It calms him down enough to keep the tears at bay, yet Rin still feels like he’s standing on the edge.

Behind her, Yakumo takes his phone from his pocket and struggles through a one-handed text. Gently, as though he were trying to calm down a rabid animal, he tells Rin, “No one's mad at you, Rin, okay?”

“I-I’m sorry,” Rin manages. He squeezes her tightly again. “I should’ve said something sooner, but I didn’t want you to get upset. You were starting to be happy again and you were singing so beautifully, I couldn’t let him take that from you again. I told him to leave you alone!”

She rubs his back gently, soothingly, in the same way she always did when they were young and Rin was sick with the flu. It makes Rin feel nostalgic, but the feeling doesn’t last long. “Don't be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong, okay? You were so brave, Sunshine, to deal with it on your own all this time.”

He shakes his head slowly and pulls away from her despite not wanting to. “No, I should be sorry. I-I don’t know what came over me. S-sorry.” He wipes the tears from his cheeks, feeling ashamed and embarrassed. He murmurs another apology, but Aria pays no mind to it.

“Do you think you could try to remember?” She asks instead, her voice gentle. She slides her hands into his and Rin revels in the comfort her touch brings him. “You said he sought you out before. When did it happen? Can you remember  _ anything _ about it? It's okay if you can't, I promise. I won't be mad.”

“Louis is on his way over,” Yakumo states gently behind her.

Aria nods in acknowledgment, never once moving her eyes from Rin.

Rin shakes his head, rubbing his cheeks with his knuckles until they're red and stinging. “I don’t know. I’m sorry. I don’t remember. We only spoke a few times, I swear. He wanted me to give you a message but I didn’t plan on it. I knew it wouldn’t make you feel good.” He exhales heavily, but it comes out as a whistling breath. He feels like he’s choking on his own guilt. “S-sorry, Ari.” He doesn’t want to say it; he doesn’t want to keep lying to her, not after everything she’s been through.

Aria deserves better.

Yakumo looks chastened, and he sits gingerly at the kitchen table. “Do you think… it could've been after he bumped the table while you and Louis were on your date?”

“He what?”

Rin shakes his head, frowning. He knows what Yakumo is talking about, can already picture Rocky’s receding back that night at the bar. He wants to lie; he wants to tell them that  _ yes _ , Rocky did come for him then, but it’s not true. It’s not the memory that haunts him.

“N-no, it was after prom,” He confesses. He wants to stop talking, but his tongue moves on its own accord. He thinks he faintly hears Aria mutter 'prom?' under her breath, her brows furrowing in thought. He wants to clarify; he wants her to know that  _ he  _ knows, that he  _ tried _ to help her. “A-after their second big break up—”

The doorbell rings and Rin jumps out of his skin. He jerks away from Aria, staring wide-eyed at the door with a sense of terror he hasn’t felt in a long time. It’s the same sense of fear he felt when Mido would come home after a particularly bad day. Instinctively, he wants to crack a joke to break the tension, but he doesn't think Aria or Yakumo would appreciate him joking at a time like this.

Undaunted, Yakumo rises from the chair. “I've got it, it's okay.” Yakumo opens the door and lets in an uncharacteristically disheveled Louis.

Louis is immediately by Rin’s side. He doesn’t say a word, merely cradles Rin’s splotchy face and gives him a kiss on the forehead in reassurance. Louis’ touch is welcoming, and Rin wants nothing more than to hold onto both of them. They’re his lifelines, keeping him grounded in reality, but he worries neither of them is enough. Something is crawling up from the back of his throat and Rin isn’t sure if it's vomit or panic.

Louis turns to Aria, his mouth opening, but he must decide against it at the last second. Instead, he glances at Yakumo by the door and says: “I’ll make tea.”

Rin already misses Louis’ company when he pulls away, but Aria immediately takes his place, even if she seems a little bit distracted.

“Why don't we sit in the living room, guys?” Yakumo suggests, gently steering them toward the couch.

They don’t take much coaxing, and before Rin knows it, they’re on the couch, hands interlaced together. Rin’s attention is fixated on Aria. The hurricane of emotion he’s been battling since the start of this conversation only worsens when he recognizes the distant look in her eyes.

“I’m-I’m sorry, Ari.” Rin murmurs, squeezing her hand tightly.

Aria shakes her head slowly, her voice uncharacteristically quiet when she speaks: “You didn't do anything wrong, Sunshine.”

Yakumo looks at Rin, as he sits gingerly in one of the chairs next to the couch. “You don't have to tell us if you don't want to… but…” He trails off.

“But I did, Ari! I  _ couldn’t  _ help you,” He confesses desperately. “We made a deal and I backed out every time. I wanted to protect you from him, but I couldn’t and when you guys finally split after prom, I figured it didn’t matter anymore. But he was pissed and he told me things. I-I didn’t believe him. Didn’t  _ want  _ to believe him. I’m sorry. I’m sorry!” 

The panic finally gets to him, and he chokes on nothing. Coughs tear from his throat, rattling his body in powerful bursts. He tries to take a breath, but his lungs are squeezing too tightly, he’s no getting enough air.

Aria's eyes shoot open. Recognition immediately flashes across her face, and when she speaks, her tone is desperate. "Shit. Shit! Do you… where's your inhaler?! Do you have it?"

“Up-upstairs!” He manages between desperate, wheezy breaths and coughs.

Without provocation, Yakumo rushes to the staircase. "I'll get it!" he shouts as he makes his way through the staircase door.

Aria turns to Louis. "Get him some tea, please!" she demands while sliding her hand behind Rin's back and helping him stand up straight. "Slow breaths, Sunshine. S-slow breaths, remember? Just like the anxiety exercises. Try for four, seven, eight."

Rin tries. He tries to slow his breathing, tries to take in a slow, deep breath, but it gets interrupted with harsh coughs. Louis is by his side in seconds, handing him a hot cup of tea.

“Nice and slow, Rin. Take it nice and slow,” He soothes.

Rin takes another deep breath. Counts to seven then releases it for eight. He does it a few times more until he feels stable enough to drink the tea Louis’ given him. It's then that Yakumo reappears with his inhaler.

With concern in his tone, Yakumo hobbles up behind the couch and offers it out to Rin. "Here."

Rin takes it with shaky hands and sprays the medicine into his mouth. Almost immediately, he feels the tightness in his chest unwind. Air returns to his lungs and sags into the couch.

Initially, it looks like Aria wants to wrap her arms around him, but she hesitates, likely because she doesn't want to crowd him. Instead, she places her hands on either side of his face and brushes her thumbs along his cheeks. "Are you okay, Sunshine?" she asks her tone still somewhat frantic.

He shakes his head and buries his face in her shoulder, holding her tightly. “I’m sorry, Ari! I’m so  _ sorry! _ ”

Aria shakes her head insistently, finally wrapping her arms around him and whispering softly into his ear. Her voice is shaky, too, like her own emotions are bubbling just beneath the surface. "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for, Sunshine. You've never, ever done anything to hurt me," she promises him.

“Yes, I did!” Rin sobs. “I tried, but I couldn’t help you! I-I… I told him… wh-whenever he fe-felt like h-harassing you to come t-to me.” He hiccups, trying to steady his breathing. “Wh-when you tur-turn him down th-that I would provide, b-but every time it happened I said no. B-because I-I was scared. And I know I shouldn’t have, it wasn’t my place to, but I saw the way he was around you and every break up you guys had just kept getting worse and worse, and so I thought that maybe,  _ maybe  _ he’d be nicer if he just.. If he had an outlet or something so I offered and we made that deal b-but every time he texted me I told him excuse after excuse and then prom happened.” 

Despite hanging onto her, Rin can feel Aria’s posture change within his arms. “A-and you just weren’t  _ okay  _ so I went after him, asked him what he did or say or do or something and—” His breath hitches. Tears are streaming down his cheeks, faster than he can control, soaking Aria’s shirt. 

In a voice barely above a whisper, Aria murmurs, “Rin… d-don't—”

He squeezes her tightly again. Resentment, guilt, and anger rise in his blood. “He told me.  _ He told me,  _ Aria. He told me and he blamed it on  _ me _ because I said no and you said no, he blamed it on us but it's not our fault, Aria. It's  _ not  _ our fault!” He releases her from his bone-crushing hug but keeps their hands clasped together, desperate for her comfort. Louis is somewhere behind him, rubbing soothing circles into his back. It helps calm his nerves but doesn’t quell them completely. 

“I told him the deal was off, because you were done with him, so it didn’t matter anymore. He still hurt you. He-He d-didn’t like that. S-s-so h-he...y-you asked me why I tried to drown myself? W-well... I thought maybe if I d-died, I could… I could pin my death on him. I.. I had his DNA i-in my m-mouth. I thought… ma-maybe they could find it, swab it from my mouth. Something,  _ anything _ to put him away for what he did to you... It was really stupid, and all I ended up doing was hurting you. I’m so sorry, Ari.” Rin can’t look her way or anywhere else, shame overcoming him. “I’m so sorry.  _ I’m so sorry _ !”

A loud pop is heard from the chair Yakumo is sitting in, and he haphazardly tosses the broken ice pack onto the table, his fists clenched in pure rage. There’s a hitch in Louis’ hand movement on Rin’s back. It only lasts for a second, but it's enough for Rin to notice. Louis mutters a curse under his breath, it’s so light, Rin isn’t sure how he could hear it in the first place.

Aria pulls Rin back into her arms and holds him tightly again. “I'm so… I'm so sorry…” Her voice is shaky, quiet, a  _ mess _ , but she clings to Rin in desperation like she's afraid of something. When the silence breaks, Aria finally wails desperately, sobbing against Rin's shoulder.

“I should've killed him. I should've fucking killed him,” Yakumo mutters.

“ _ Yakumo _ ,” Louis chastises, though his tone is dark.

Rin rubs soothing circles into Aria’s back. “I’m sorry,” He grimaces, feeling like he can’t say anything else. “It-it’s f-fine.”

“It's  _ not _ fine. It's… it's  _ not _ . I… all this time I had no idea and you were… and he was…” She clings to Rin's shirt, desperately trying to speak again, but nothing comes out but a stammered mess of…  _ something _ .

Rin shakes his head, smoothing her hair down in what he hopes is a comforting gesture. “I-it’s not your fault, Ari. I-it was my d-decision. My stupidity. My mistake. I really thought it would’ve made a difference for you. But you got out. And I’m so proud of you.”

Through gasping breaths, Aria manages: “Th-the  _ only _ reason I was… I was  _ able _ to get out is be-because  _ you _ were there, Sunshine.” She finally lifts her head, her cheeks tear-stained and her eyes still shedding more. “If I didn't have  _ you _ … I don't even want to think about it.”

“I’m here,” Rin murmurs encouragingly. “ _ I’m here.” _

“I love you, Rin,” Aria sobs. “I'm s-sorry I shut you out. If I hadn't, maybe I could've  _ known _ and… and… done  _ something _ .”

“We’re still here  _ together  _ and that’s all that matters.”

She meets his eyes. “You're amazing, Rin. You know that? The bravest person I've ever known.”

Rin laughs wetly, he holds onto her tightly. “And you’re the strongest person I know. I’m really proud to be your womb mate. I love you so much!”

Yakumo stands up and hobbles over to them, wrapping them both in a hug. “Honestly, I'm just proud to be in you guys'  _ lives _ . You guys are  _ both _ amazing.” He pauses, turns, and beckons for Louis to join the hug.

“You two are incredible,” Louis adds, crowding into the three of them and holding them tightly. He plants a kiss on the top of Rin’s head. Rin manages a wet and muffled “thank you.”

“I don't… I don't know  _ how _ we got so lucky as to go from only having Coco to having the two nicest guys in the  _ world _ in our lives, as our… y'know, family… but we did.” Aria manages through her tears. “Thanks. To you both. To  _ you _ , Louis, for sticking with Rin no matter what, and to you Yakumo for…” Beneath the tears on her cheeks, her face turns red. “For being… just… I can't even come up with the words.”

“For being Yakumouthty,” Rin quips, giggling.

“Y'know what? I'll take it.” Yakumo chuckles and releases everyone from the hug. Gently, tentatively, Yakumo wraps his arms around Aria alone. The relief on his face is visible when she turns and buries her head against his chest.

Rin laughs lightly at the display, but watching her take comfort into the arms of someone like Yakumo makes Rin feel unbelievably relieved. He uses the ends of his hoodie to wipe the tear streaks from his cheeks and he sniffles again. He rises from the couch with somewhat unsteady legs. “I-I’m gonna change my shirt.” He announces, though his eyes are on Louis. 

There’s something dark in Louis’ eye, something he’s barely concealing and Rin hopes it has nothing to do with his confession, though he knows he’s grasping at straws. He holds out his hand toward Louis in an unspoken question, and to his relief, Louis takes it with a warm, comforting smile. 

“We’ll be right back,” Louis says. He gently helps Rin toward the stairs.

* * *

Rin works on autopilot the moment they reach his bedroom. Out of respect, though Rin doesn’t think Louis needs to, Louis keeps his back turned away while Rin peels off his hoodie. He doesn’t sleep in his binder, it’s not healthy after all, but the thought of Louis giving him some privacy despite Rin being the one to drag him up here in the first place makes Rin feel… warm. He digs into his dresser for another sleeping hoodie and pulls it over his head. Once he’s dressed again, he anxiously twists the string of his hoodie around his finger, eyeing Louis’ back.

“You can turn around now,” He tells him, brows furrowed in worry. “I’m sorry… by the way… for having Yakumo wake you up so early.”

Louis shakes his head gently as he turns and gives Rin a comforting smile. “I rushed over as soon as I could.”

“I know,” Rin smiles, though it's wistful. “Thank you.” He closes the distance between them and wraps his arms around Louis’ waist, peering up into his face. “Y-you’re… not mad at me, right? For this? F-for letting this happen?”

Louis frowns, and that dark, barely concealed anger flashes in his eyes again. “It’s not your fault, Rin.” He says. “And I’m not angry at you. I’m angry at  _ him _ for everything he’s done to you and Aria. Rin, if being in the same class with Rocky is a problem, you know you don’t have to deal with it.”

“I-I know.”

“We can talk to the dean,” Louis presses. “We can have him get transferred elsewhere.”

Rin shakes his head. “It’s fine, Louis. I’m not going to let him dictate my life. I want him to  _ watch  _ me succeed.”

Louis’ grip on him grows tighter. “Did he… do anything else…?”

“No. He didn’t get the chance to. I bit his dick and ran out of his apartment.” Rin tries for a laugh, but it comes out as a puff. “P-pretty sure I took a piece with me from what I remember”

Louis kisses him gently.

“I’m sorry,” He adds.

“Don’t be.” Rin sighs into Louis’ chest. “I guess none of us are going to school tomorrow,” he muses. “I guess this means I’ll get to whoop ass in Mario Kart again.” 

Louis laughs heartily.

* * *

Despite Rin’s earlier suggestion to play games, he and Aria are the first two out like a light. They’re snuggled comfortably into each other’s embrace, warm and safe in Aria’s bedroom as Louis quietly shuts the door and makes his trek down the stairs. He spots Yakumo tending to his bruised knuckles by the kitchen sink. His shoulders are tense like he's ready for a fight.

Louis doesn’t blame him. After everything he’s heard, the images that play in his mind, the hurricane of emotions each twin went through, Louis feels like he’s only three seconds away from pulling up Rocky’s address and hunting the bastard down. The urge is strong, but he doesn’t. He knows better, even if he desperately wants to.

“How are you holding up?” He asks.

Yakumo huffs derisively, his voice a dangerous, low rumble. “You ever want to tear someone's head off and shove it down their throat?”

“You too, huh?”

“The only thing stopping me is that whole… you know… jail thing.” Yakumo wraps his knuckles in gauze. “My mind's trying to convince my heart that's enough.”

“I understand. I told Rin he didn’t need to deal with Rocky in class but he said he wanted Rocky to watch him succeed. Still,” Louis’ eye goes hard “I’m thinking he needs to be warned.”

Yakumo turns toward Louis, his expression equally serious. “Absolutely. Just because he's watching them succeed doesn't mean he'll be… quiet. Especially if the way he  _ literally _ sought Aria out today is any indication.”

“Exactly,” Louis nods.

Yakumo tilts his head inquisitively. “When and how do you think we go about it, then?”

“Not today. They’ll need us, plus, they’ll notice if we both disappear.” Louis glances toward the ceiling, the wheels in his head turning.

Yakumo follows suit, eyeing the ceiling as though either of them can see right through it. “Tuesday? Think we can catch him away from Rin? Maybe… you could do that weird smooth thing you do to slip him a note or something without Rin noticing, to meet you somewhere.”

Louis chuckles lightly. “Yeah, I can do that. It’ll be easy getting his attention.”

“Hard part'll be convincing me to not rip his fucking head off.” Yakumo hobbles over toward the couch and gingerly lowers himself onto it.

Louis sits on one of the armchairs and eyes his foot warily. “You should see a doctor for your leg, Yakumo.”

“It's just a twisted ankle, dude. I've done worse on the ice.” Yakumo laughs. “It was worth it, though.”

“At the very least, you should let Karen check it out for you.”

Yakumo laughs again. “Yes mom,” he says as he gives Louis a half-smile. “Though I'm pretty sure she'll just tell me to ice it. You crashing here tonight?”

Louis nods. “Yeah, to make sure they’re okay. You?”

“Yeah, I'll probably crash right here.” He pats the cushion seat beside him in emphasis. “Let them stay together, and you can take Rin's bed. And before you protest, because I know you have one in the chamber, it's Rin's room. I'm sure he'd rather have you sleep in there than me.”

“And I don’t think he’d mind if you  _ did  _ sleep up there, but, considering your ankle, fine. I’ll accept it this time.”

Yakumo smirks. “Good. Let me know if you hear anything from Aria's room overnight?”

“I will. Good night Yakumo.” As Louis makes his way toward the stairs, he stops just outside the doorway. “And  _ don’t  _ think about hunting him down without me.”

Yakumo laughs dangerously. “You can't stop me from thinking about it, but I won't  _ do _ it. I promise.”

Louis gives him a smirk, then leaves Yakumo to his own devices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're a fan of the quartet & wanna talk more about the twins & the good boys, please find us on twitter T-T we would love sharing more info on what we got on these universes!! (especially me because I'm bored in quarantine)


	33. Yakumo & Louis, Quartet Shenanigans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _It isn't long before Louis strides into the small alleyway with him. "I’m not surprised you’re already here," he says, announcing his presence._
> 
> _Yakumo startles at the sound of Louis' voice, but relaxes immediately when he realizes who it is. "I know you can hold your own, but there's literally a zero percent chance I'm leaving you alone with this bastard, Louis. You know what he's done."_
> 
> _"I know," Louis rumbles._

Patrolling campus is harder than usual with a sprained ankle, but Yakumo refuses to take an extra day off. Especially not today. Today is too important.

Aria had tried in the morning to encourage him to take the extra time, but Yakumo had gently turned her down. He'd framed it as wanting to be on campus to protect her if the need arises, and honestly, given what he and Louis have planned, it's not that far from the truth. He looks up at the high walls of the math and science buildings, then down one side of the small alley to the other.

For the most part, this area of campus is pretty quiet. Anyone in these classes is too busy getting where they need to go to even look around them. Yakumo is genuinely impressed with Louis' cleverness once again, picking a place like this for them to meet.

Yakumo glances at his phone. The plan is to get this meeting out of the way as fast as they possibly can, then head over to the twins' house to stay the night again. Aria and Rin haven't exactly said that they need Yakumo and Louis to stay, but it's one of those things that doesn't necessarily need saying. They're vulnerable right now. Every time they start to recover, it seems like the world tries to pick at another old wound that they think has long since healed.

Aria's name flashes on his screen. It's a text message, telling him that she's on her way home with Rin and confirming that Yakumo is still coming over tonight. He types out a quick reply, promising her that he'll be there as soon as he can, and then slides his phone back into his pocket. He takes another glance around, waiting for Louis or Rocky.

Hopefully Louis. If Yakumo has to be alone with Rocky, knowing what he knows… it won't end well.

Four o'clock rolls ever closer, and Yakumo takes a glance up at the sky. Maybe a part of him does want Rocky to show up first, just so he can scare the shit out of the guy by telling him that he knows. He shakes his head quickly, dispelling the thought, and leans against the wall to wait.

It isn't long before Louis strides into the small alleyway with him. "I’m not surprised you’re already here," he says, announcing his presence.

Yakumo startles at the sound of Louis' voice, but relaxes immediately when he realizes who it is. "I know you can hold your own, but there's literally a zero percent chance I'm leaving you alone with this bastard, Louis. You know what he's done."

"I know," Louis rumbles.

Once again, Yakumo casts his eyes from one end of the alleyway to the other. "Did you give him the note? Did it look like he was gonna show?"

Louis nods. "He’ll show. He has no other choice," he says simply.

Tilting his head curiously, Yakumo asks, "Why? What'd you say?"

"Nothing I didn’t mean."

Yakumo barely has a chance to process what Louis may have meant. Another pair of footsteps sounds out in the alleyway. Immediately, Yakumo tenses, and he turns toward the sound. He doesn't move. If he moves, there's no telling what he'll do. Instead, he just turns to look at Louis, wondering what his friend has planned. Louis is made of tougher stuff than most people give him credit for. He's strong, sure, but the most dangerous thing to Rocky right now is how smart he is.

If anyone in all of Vein can figure out a way to get Rocky to leave the twins alone… it's Louis. Yakumo is only here in case things get out of hand.

When Yakumo's eyes settle on Rocky, he can't help but curl his lip in anger. His eyes are hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses, his lips stuck in a permanent scowl. He looks like he’d rather be anywhere but here, which makes perfect sense to Yakumo, but also offends him. Given what he did, Yakumo thinks he should be a lot more humble. He stuffs his fists into his pockets as he approaches them.

"I’m here. What do you fucks want?" Rocky seethes.

Yakumo narrows his eyes. "Pretty sure you know what we want." He meets Rocky's gaze—or at least he thinks he does; it's hard to tell with the sunglasses blocking his view—and wonders if his own black eye and split lip are a reminder of their fight. He points to Louis. "Ask him. He wants to talk to you."

Rocky’s scowl deepens. "Look I don’t want any trouble, Amamiya. I already submitted my request in to the administration department."

In an eerily calm voice, Louis replies, "Oh, is that right?"

Yakumo quirks an eyebrow. Request? What request is he talking about? As much as Yakumo wants to ask, he can sense that beneath Louis' calm exterior he has a very calculated plan. He watches the situation carefully. Rocky seems more intimidated by Louis than by Yakumo, which is honestly a relief. A darkly amusing thought enters Yakumo's mind.

Maybe Rocky is so intimidated because he's used to facing brawn… but when it comes to brains… well…

"I don’t want no trouble, alright?" Rocky repeats.

A sarcastic laugh passes through Yakumo's lips unbidden. If he doesn't want any trouble, then why did he seek Aria out? If he doesn't want any trouble, why has he been a constant thorn in Rin's side for the past few weeks? If he doesn't want any trouble, then why can't Yakumo shake the urge to punch him so hard his head rolls down the goddamned alley?

"That's rich," Yakumo murmurs.

Louis turns a sharp glare Yakumo's way, wordlessly silencing him. "I’m sure you’re not aware of this, Yakumo, but _Mr. Rosé_ here is actually on scholarship for my sister’s nursing program," he explains.

Rocky simply grimaces.

It's almost funny. Rocky doesn't seem to care about anyone but himself. Being a nurse doesn't seem to fit him. "Nursing?" he asks with an arched eyebrow. "That's a surprise."

Louis nods, though he doesn’t take his eyes from Rocky. "I was surprised too. You know how difficult it is to get into Vein U’s Nursing program. It’d be a damn shame if my _sister_ heard about everything that’s going on," he muses.

"Everything that _has_ gone on in the past," Yakumo continues pointedly.

The way Rocky flinches takes Yakumo by surprise in turn. "L-listen… I know I’ve been a fuck and what I’ve done can’t be undone. If this is about leaving the Freys alone, consider it a deal," he answers frantically.

Yakumo narrows his eyes angrily. "It's about that, _partially_. It's also about making sure you recognize what it is that you did. You _sexually assaulted_ Aria and extorted her brother with the intent to sexually assault _him_, you fucking idiot," he seethes.

Rocky hunches his back and his shoulders rise, practically to his ears. "I won’t speak to them ever again."

"Is that good enough for you?" Yakumo asks Louis.

Louis nods. "That’s fine as long as it stays true," he confirms.

"Unlike when you promised me last time." Yakumo crosses his arms over his chest, then raises his chin. "'Cause if it's not true this time, it won't be just me you have to worry about. It'll be him, too." He points at Louis.

Rather than answer with words, Rocky nods, his lips a thin straight line.

Expression unchanging, Louis nods as well. "We’re done here. You’re dismissed," he orders.

Without another word, Rocky rushes out of the alleyway, leaving Yakumo and Louis to think about the whole situation. In the wake of everything, Yakumo still doesn't know how to feel. It isn't the first time Rocky has told him that he'd leave Aria alone, but something about this time… something about the way he seemed humbled by whatever Louis had threatened—whether it was the same threat he'd verbalized or something else entirely—leads Yakumo to believe that this will be different. 

Even so, he still feels a sense of dread boiling in his gut. He turns to Louis, then nods out of the alleyway in the direction of the twins' apartment, silently signifying that they should get going.

"What'd you threaten in the note, to tell your sister?" he asks as they depart.

Louis shrugs. "I told him I knew."

Laughing darkly, Yakumo shakes his head. "Bet he thought he was walking into a fucking horror movie. You're pretty scary, dude," he teases.

"I guess I can see why Emily never liked me," Louis chuckles humorlessly.

Yakumo frowns. "Yeah, well… she's another thing you were right about. You'd think I'd eventually just learn that you're always right." He glances over his shoulder, in the direction Rocky ran off. "You think he'll listen this time? 'Cause he didn't last time."

Eyes narrowing, Louis nods. "He’ll listen," he insists. "He’s dealing with me now."

"Not just you, dude," Yakumo reminds him. "If he gets out of hand, ever again, I want you to let me know too, okay?"

"You’ll be the first to know if he does," Louis promises.

They go quiet from there, and Yakumo reflects on the past few weeks. To outsiders, it probably doesn't seem like much, but the twins had been through so much… they deserved a break. A part of Yakumo wonders if they've ever been on a vacation anywhere before. Yakumo hasn't, and while he's almost sure Louis _has_, he knows that it's most likely few and far between.

The twins deserve a vacation. All four of them deserve a vacation… and Yakumo has the money stored away to give them one.

"Hey. _Absolutely_ to change the subject, but… I just came up with a wild idea," he muses with a warm chuckle. "Something we can do for the twins to… raise their spirits."

"Hm? What’s that?" Louis asks.

Yakumo shrugs nonchalantly. "You think they've ever… been on a vacation before?" He pauses and laughs sadly. "That probably sounds insulting, but as someone who knows what foster can be like… I'm pretty sure they haven't."

Louis stops in his tracks. "Are you proposing we take them on vacation?"

Turning to look at Louis, Yakumo shrugs. "I mean… maybe? What, lousy idea?" He laughs self-deprecatingly.

"No, just… surprised. That’s… really intimate," Louis admits, his cheeks awash with a deep blush.

Yakumo pauses, glancing down at the grass. "Yeah. I'm sure _Rin_ would say yes. Aria… I'm not so sure about." He laughs nervously.

Louis shakes his head. "She’d go. Wherever Rin goes, Aria is sure to follow, after all," he muses with a chuckle.

"Yeah, that's true. I guess… if you think it's a good idea, we should ask them together, then? I wouldn't want Aria to think…" Yakumo glances back toward the small alley between the two buildings. "I don't want her to feel like she _has_ to do anything. For me. Ever."

Shaking his head lightly, Louis smiles. "I don’t think you have to worry about that. Not with her."

Yakumo laughs. "Well, maybe I don't have to, but… I want to be different. I want her to _feel_ different." He pauses again, turning to look down at the ground. "I… I think I might be in love with her, dude."

Louis merely smirks. "Yeah, already figured that one out." He claps Yakumo on the shoulder. "Congratulations. Welcome to the love club."

"Wait, does that mean I have to get all dopey every time I look at her like you do with Rin? Or turn into a blushing moron the way you do whenever she so much as brushes my hand?" Yakumo shoves Louis in the shoulder and smirks wryly.

Huffing in playful annoyance, Louis gives Yakumo a meaningful look. "First of all, I like to think I handle all of that with grace. Secondly, yes."

Yakumo laughs. "Grace. Right, Captain Morning Wood," he teases.

Louis flushes an impressive shade of red. "It’s a common response for young men to have." His tone is serious, but the red in his face completely belies any seriousness in his words. "It is perfectly normal. I’ve spent hours researching it."

"Okay, Wikipedia Jones." Yakumo grins. "Doesn't change the fact that blushing at the thought of morning wood does not imply grace. Or dignity or anything like it."

With narrowed eyes, Louis huffs. "Yakumo, if you want me to split for this vacation idea, I’m going to need you to remove every possible thought about morning erections from your memory," he warns.

Yakumo blinks. "Wait, who said anything about splitting? I was just gonna take it from my Vein U fund." He shrugs.

"No, you won’t. We’ll split two ways. I have some money saved up that will help," Louis reasons.

Yakumo furrows his brow. "Dude. It was going to be my Christmas present to all of you," he muses with a chuckle.

The look on Louis' face is nothing short of insistent. "it’ll be _our_ Christmas present for the _twins_," he says simply.

"Alright, but… you can't impose yourself on my Christmas present and then take my morning wood jokes off the table." Yakumo smirks wryly. "It's either one or the other. Not both."

Louis smirks in return. "Your wood jokes are off the table and I’m still paying half. Take it or leave it. Alternatively, I could pay for all of it. I’m sure Karen wouldn’t mind," he says, tapping his chin in thought.

With a scoff, Yakumo shakes his head and holds his index finger up. "First of all… you're not paying for the whole damn thing, _Lulu_." He raises a second finger. "Second of all… are we gonna end up getting into another one of those discussions that just ends up embarrassing the hell out of us both, right in front of the twins? Again?"

"No, because you’re going to accept my half-payment _and_ never speak of 'morning wood' jokes. Fair?" Louis shrugs.

Yakumo puts up a fake scout symbol. "Scouts honor. Never… until next time, anyway." He grins.

Louis looks at him, clearly unimpressed.

"C'mon, Louis. Let's go see our people, huh?" Yakumo claps Louis on the shoulder and leads him toward the twins' apartment.

~

It's funny. Ever since the revelation yesterday—ever since Rin told her that he knows what happened to her, ever since he revealed what happened to him—every time they're together, they're never more than a couple of feet apart. Last night was the first time in years they'd cuddled in the same bed. It was comforting in a way Aria never could have expected. Knowing that no matter what's going on, she and Rin are a unit—a stronger unit than they've ever been before, now—makes Aria feel stronger in turn.

As she crosses the kitchen into the living room, and sits beside Rin with a plate of fresh-baked double chocolate brownies and another plate of sugar cookies, she nudges him gently with her shoulder.

"Kinda weird having the apartment to ourselves for a little bit, isn't it?" Aria muses with a laugh.

There's still a slight somberness in her tone, because everything that came to light the day before still bounces around in her head like a ping pong ball, but she thinks… now that it's out there, now that they're dealing with it, that somberness can truly go away with time.

"Yeah…" Rin replies.

Aria casts him a sidelong glance. "You okay?" she asks.

Rin nods. "Yeah, just… impressed." He laughs, then grabs a brownie and takes a bite.

She tilts her head curiously. "With what?"

"Everything. Us. Louis and Yakumo. Just… everything. I don’t know. It's hard to explain," Rin admits bashfully.

Aria smiles warmly. "I think I get it, though." She picks a cookie up and breaks a piece off. "We shouldn't feel good at all right now. We should feel terrible, right? But… but we do. We feel good, for the most part, and it's all because of us and Yakumo and Louis, and it's crazy. Something like that?" 

Rin nods again. "Yeah, my thoughts exactly." He smiles warmly.

"I still don't know why they put up with us, when literally all we've done is make their lives complicated, but honestly, I think…" Aria laughs nervously. "I think I'm done questioning it. If they're willing to deal with the Frey crisis du jour, who are we to tell them no?"

"I guess they just love the entertainment?" Rin laughs. "Speaking of which, where are they anyway?"

"Well, we know _Louis_ loves _somebody_ here." Aria pokes Rin in the side. "Yakumo texted me a few minutes ago while I was baking. Said he'd be here as soon as he could and that he had a work commitment he couldn't get out of."

Rin reaches for another brownie with a roll of his eyes. "He should learn to take a vacation. He deserves it."

Sighing, Aria nods her agreement. "I tried to get him to stay home today, too. With his ankle and his hand. All that walking around campus can't be helping," she admits. "Said he couldn't, though. I wish there was something I could do to help him, so he doesn't have to work so hard."

"Wish I could give you some sage advice sis, but I’m a useless lump today." Rin chews on his brownie and hums in delight. "I don’t know, maybe try strapping him down next time?"

Aria smirks. "Kinky."

Rin looks at her, scandalized.

"Hey, you're the one who put the idea in my head." Aria shrugs nonchalantly and looks at the TV. "What movie do you wanna watch while we wait for them?"

As soon as the idea crosses Aria's mind, the doorbell rings. She chuckles and points at the door. "Or not. You got it? I'm gonna go grab the extra snacks and we can play those video games we never got to the other night."

Rin is already on his feet, approaching the door. "Yeah, I got it," he answers as he pulls the door open. He holds out his leg and leans against the doorframe. "Password my good sirs?"

"Crap, I don't have muffins this time." Yakumo frowns dramatically.

From the kitchen, Aria calls, "But I do!"

Yakumo laughs. "Aria! Can we do that thing people do at clubs where we share stamps, except instead of stamps you barter my entry with a muffin?" 

"Don't ask me, it's the doorman's decision," Aria smiles coyly and takes a muffin from the tin.

Louis brushes past Yakumo and smiles at Rin. "Allow me." Without another word, he captures Rin’s lips in a deep, yet gentle kiss. Louis carefully urges Rin away from the doorframe, allowing them entry. As he pulls away, he asks, "How's that for a password?"

With a dreamy sigh, Rin melts dramatically. "Do it again."

"Dang, I feel like I just snuck past security at some exclusive club," Yakumo chuckles.

Aria appears at his side with a brownie, which she offers out to him. As soon as he takes it, she bounces up onto her tiptoes and presses a quick kiss to his lips. "You did," she agrees with a grin. "Just not the traditional club. Instead, it's a club with food and music and art and video games… which… doesn't sound too different from a normal club, I guess."

With a smug smirk, Louis turns to Yakumo. "You’re welcome," he declares.

"I don't know why _I_ should thank _you_ for _you_ kissing your boyfriend, since…" Yakumo pauses and laughs softly. "You know what, I'm not gonna question it." He makes his way to the living area and eases onto the couch.

Aria laughs and nods. "Probably for the best. The more you question, the more your brain just hurts." She turns to Louis, then to Rin with a chuckle. "Man, he's totally like one of those cartoon characters, floating around about a foot off the ground after you."

Rin snaps out of his daze and glares at Aria. "Hey!" 

A genuine peal of Louis' laughter echoes through the living room.

"You're a cute cartoon character, Sunshine. Don't worry." Aria plops down next to Yakumo and settles against him.

Yakumo calmly starts running his fingers through Aria's hair. "So, hey. Now that we're all here together, I think Louis and I had a question we wanted to ask you," he murmurs.

Chuckling softly, Aria turns to look at him. "Well, that sounds ominous."

"Is it a proposal?" Rin asks around a snicker.

Aria rolls her eyes, but smirks at Yakumo. "Are you asking us how we got so cute? Because honestly, that's a mystery to me, too."

Rin grins even wider. "How am I so awesome? _That_ I can’t tell you." He sits by Louis’ legs on the floor.

Laughing softly, Yakumo shrugs. "All legitimate questions, but no. It's uh… it's kinda…" He stammers a couple more times, then looks to Louis for help.

"You okay, Dream Maker?" Aria asks, tilting her head curiously.

With a self-deprecating chuckle, Yakumo nods. "Yeah, I just… I'm sorta having a hard time trying to come up with a way to ask…" he mumbles.

It seems like Louis has no such qualms. "Winter break is coming up. Yakumo and I were wondering if you two would like to join us for the week. The campus will be open for residents but it’ll mostly be vacant," he explains.

Yakumo puffs out a breath of laughter. "Wow, you make that look so easy," he mutters.

Aria blinks. "Join you? Like… just hang out together all week?" she asks.

"Well… we were thinking…" Yakumo turns from Aria, to Rin, then back to Aria. "That we could all go somewhere for the week."

"Like… a vacation?" Rin asks.

Louis nods. "Technically speaking, yes."

Wide-eyed, Aria breathes a soft laugh. "Oh. Wow. I don't… have we ever been on a vacation before?" she asks Rin.

"We’ve had staycations… but never like... a _vacation_," Rin answers.

Yakumo smiles. "You don't have to say yes. It's a lot, I get it. We just thought… you've been through a lot recently, you know? You deserve something nice. We did the math on the way here and if Louis and I pool our resources, we can afford to go pretty much anywhere you guys want to," he explains.

Aria stares blankly at Yakumo. "Wait, you guys would be paying for it?" she asks.

Nodding, Louis shrugs. "I wasn’t going to let Yakumo go into debt over this," he explains.

With an annoyed huff, Yakumo rolls his eyes. "I wouldn't have gone into debt. I have some cash stored and—" He pauses and shakes his head. "Never mind, that's not important. What is important is that I don't want you guys to feel pressured. I just thought… it could be fun, you know? A week away from everything, just the four of us."

Aria hums thoughtfully to herself. "A week away. That does sound… nice. I don't know. What do you think, Rin?" she asks.

Tilting his head curiously, Rin asks, "Where would we go?"

"That's up to you guys. Anywhere you want." Yakumo smiles fondly as he brushes his hand up and down Aria's arm. "Is there anywhere you've seen that you've been like 'wow, I want to go there?'"

Rin shrugs.

Solemnly, Aria explains, "I don't think… we ever thought about it, to be honest. Vacations were always for other people, you know? A nice idea, but something we'd probably never get to experience."

Humming thoughtfully, Yakumo nods. "Yeah. I get that." He turns to Louis. "What do you think?"

"How about… someplace warm?" Louis suggests. "Since it’ll get colder here soon."

Aria bites her lip. "I… are you guys sure?" she asks as she looks from Louis to Yakumo. "This is a lot… isn't it?"

Louis smiles warmly. "You two deserve it," he explains.

Nodding, Yakumo looks between the twins. "If you're not comfortable with it, that's absolutely fine. We don't have to go anywhere. We can hang around here and just… enjoy the week off together normally. But if you are comfortable with it…" His eyes settle on Aria, specifically, "you're worth it. So… let us do it for you."

Aria is quiet for a moment, as she meets Yakumo's yellow-green eyes and searches them for any sign of an ulterior motive. It's stupid. He hasn't been… like that… at all. He's not like that. So why is she questioning?

As much as she wants to say yes, her agreement hinges on one thing. One person.

She turns to Rin. "What do you think, Sunshine?"

Rin blinks, surprised. "Oh, uh, sounds like it’d be fun!" he nods.

Excitement paints its way across Aria's face. "Well then, I'm in, too." She nods eagerly.

Yakumo's smile increases in intensity and eagerness, and Aria is pretty sure that's how he's always been meant to smile. If Rin's smile is like sunshine, Aria thinks Yakumo's is like starlight.

"Cool," he says, trying to play his excitement off. "This is gonna be great. We'll escape the snow and go somewhere warm for a week, then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to add here, just wanted to thank everyone for the continued support! ♥


	34. Rin & Louis (IV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I may have ruined our vacation plans.”
> 
> Yakumo blinks in confusion. “Huh?” He responds eloquently.
> 
> “Rin,” Louis states as if that were enough to clue Yakumo into what Louis is thinking. “I may have ruined everything with Rin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is taking it easy during these quarantine times! I also hope these two chapters make everyone's day better ♥

Rin is nervous, which isn’t exactly unusual for him. Even so, the apprehension he has over Yakumo’s vacation idea startles him. The idea of going away for the week with everyone  _ is  _ exciting. Since they decided, he’s already been envisioning various different things they could do on a vacation, but despite the excitement of actually getting to  _ go  _ on a vacation, he’s anxious. He’s anxious about something he hasn’t really thought of in over a year.

Going away for a week means he’ll be in constant proximity to both Louis and Yakumo. It means hours and hours of binding and wearing thin clothes in a possibly hot or humid place. It means possibly sharing a room with Louis. If the glimmer in Yakumo’s eyes is any indication, he’ll most likely want to room with Aria. 

While Rin doesn’t  _ mind  _ spending the week with his boyfriend, it’s… a lot to take in. It’s a change he’s not sure he’s ready for. But a  _ vacation _ ! His face lights up again at the thought of it. He  _ wants  _ to go on a vacation, and if it means wearing his binders for longer than usual and sharing a room with his boyfriend, then he’ll do it, no questions asked. 

When all talks about vacation plans are settled, a comfortable atmosphere falls between them. Rin excuses himself to change into his pajamas. He lets himself get so lost in his thoughts as he makes the trek up the stairs that he fails to notice the second pair of footsteps that follow behind him. He jumps out of his skin when he nearly closes the door in Louis’ face.

“ _ Louis _ —!” He gasps, horrified. “Don’t  _ do  _ that!”

“Sorry,” Louis chuckles, though his smile is apologetic. He holds the door open with one hand and wordlessly gestures toward the room, asking permission to enter. Rin lets him in, still clutching his chest. “I didn’t mean to sneak up on you, but you didn’t respond when I called your name. Everything alright? I noticed you were uncharacteristically quiet downstairs.”

Rin heaves a relieved sigh the moment his heart stops racing. He maneuvers around Louis casually and closes the door behind them. “It’s not really a big deal,” He starts, giving Louis a reassuring smile. “I was just thinking about the vacation thing.”

“Already having seconds thoughts?” Louis smirks teasingly.

Rin rolls his eyes playfully and shoves his boyfriend aside as he makes his way toward the dresser. “You say that as a joke, but you’re not wrong.” As Rin expects, Louis’ smile fades. “I told you, it’s not a big deal. I really  _ do  _ think it's a great idea.” He adds on quickly, fishing through his pajama drawer.

“But something is making you hesitate.” Louis frowns worriedly. “Are you… worried about spending the week with me?”

Rin stops what he’s doing and turns to Louis, a soft smile on his face. He wraps his arms around Louis’ waist and rests his head against Louis’ chest. He can hear the wild thumping of Louis’ heart.

“Yes and no,” Rin murmurs as Louis’ arms wrap around him. “It’s stupid. I’m just worrying about dumb things again.”

“Your anxieties are not stupid,” Louis reassures him. “What’s on your mind?”

Rin sighs. “I don’t… like to wear my binder for long periods of time. It’s uncomfortable. So… going on vacation, being around you and Yakumo, I have to, you know?”

Louis rubs soothing circles on Rin’s back as he heaves a gentle, quiet sigh. “Rin, you don’t  _ have  _ to. You know we won’t mind if you do or don’t.”

Rin shakes his head slowly. He understands what Louis is trying to tell him, but the fact of the matter is, Louis doesn’t  _ understand _ . He’s not a man that needs to constantly bind. He can wear tank tops or go shirtless at any given time if he wants to, and no one will look at him strangely because of it. It’s natural for him. It’s  _ normal _ .

Rin still isn’t normal, no matter how often everyone tries to tell him that he is. Not yet, anyway. But someday, he will be.

“I really appreciate what you’re trying to do, Louis. I really, really do, but I  _ have  _ to. Okay? I’ll feel uncomfortable being around you guys without it.” Rin explains, hoping his tone is gentle enough to assuage Louis’ concerns. “It’s one thing to know you guys are cool with it, it’s an entirely different experience when you see yourself without it.” 

“I’ve  _ already  _ seen it, Rin. It doesn’t make me love you any less.” Louis presses.

Rin sighs, his frustration mounting. He pulls away from Louis and situates himself on the bed, trying his best to keep his frustration from showing. It’s hard to verbalize what’s going through his head. He knows Louis is trying his best; knows that he’s not being fair when Rin  _ can’t  _ express what he’s feeling properly. Rin has spent  _ years  _ trying to assuage his dysphoria when it came to his upper half, trying to describe that to Louis just seems far too daunting for him right now, especially after the whole Rocky fiasco.

Talking feels far more exhausting than it really should be, right now.

Louis kneels in front of him, red eyes peering up at him through his long fringe. Rin can see the care and concern in them clear as day.

“If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to.”

“You’re misunderstanding me,” Rin frowns. “That’s  _ not  _ what I’m saying, Louis.”

“Rin, I can’t help you when I don’t understand what you’re feeling right now.” Louis says gently. He takes a hold of Rin’s hand and squeezes it reassuringly. “Please, just explain to me what you’re worried about? Because I don’t understand. If you’re worried about unbinding around me, you can still share a room with Aria. Yakumo and I will understand—”

“ _ Louis _ —” Rin stops himself before he can go any further and releases another heavy, defeated sigh. 

Before he can say a word, Louis rests his forehead against Rin’s knees. “I'm sorry. I’m making it worse, aren’t I?”

Rin shakes his head, and carefully, gently smooths his fingers into Louis’ hair. “No, it’s my fault. I’m not making myself clear. I know it’s hard to see where I’m coming from. Just… The most important thing is I  _ want  _ to go, okay?” Rin smiles. It’s small, but still genuine, and when Louis peers up at him, it grows wider. “It sounds like it’s going to be really fun and a memory worth making.”

Louis doesn’t look assuaged, but nevertheless he returns Rin’s smile. “I promise it will be,” he murmurs. He stares into Rin’s eyes for a moment, searching for something. Rin isn’t sure what, though. “Do you want me to bring Aria up here?”

“Ari knows how my episodes are like. Talking about it won’t make it go away faster.” Rin huffs out a laugh then holds out his hands to Louis, who grasps them gently yet tightly. He brushes his thumb along Louis’ knuckles. “How did I get so lucky?”

Surprise colors Louis’ face. He chuckles and kisses Rin’s hands.

“I believe that’s  _ my  _ line.” Louis smiles.

“No, pretty sure it’s mine.” Rin giggles. “Sorry, I know you’re trying and I really appreciate it. Some things are just… hard to explain.”

“I understand.”

Rin knows he does. It’s one of the many reasons why he loves Louis so much. 

A knock is heard on the door, rhythmic and musical. Rin knows exactly who it is, and it makes his smile grow wider. 

“Come in!” 

Aria cracks open the door and pokes her head inside. “Are ya decent?” She asks, half smirking. Louis rises to his feet just as Rin laughs. She pushes the door open the rest of way and leans against its frame. Rin notices the way her smirk falters when she takes in the atmosphere. He wonders if she can feel the tension in the air.

“Everything okay? Yakumo and I were just noticing how long it was taking. We were like 'they're either banging or something's wrong.' And… this isn't banging atmosphere so…” 

As if on cue, Louis’ cheeks turn pink in embarrassment. “We wouldn’t do that with  _ company  _ in the house, Aria. Please have more faith in me.” He says. It only makes Rin laugh.

She taps her chin thoughtfully. “Lulu, did you forget that  _ you're _ technically company in the house?” She smirks. 

“I am one of two,” Louis clarifies, heading for the door. “Speaking of which, we finished talking so he’s all yours. I’ll see you downstairs?”

Rin smiles warmly, hoping it's enough to assuage the concern he can still see in Louis’ eyes. “Of course. I’ll be down in a second.”

Once he’s gone, Aria immediately settles on the bed beside Rin, her face softening now that they’re alone. “So, what's up, Buttercup? I know that whole pajamas thing was mostly an excuse.”

“Oh, you know the usual,” Rin says sarcastically. “Just this and  _ that _ .” He waves a hand flippantly. Aria nods in understanding. “So… catastrophic self-doubt?”

Rin laughs sardonically. “Actually, the  _ other _ usual.” He sobers quickly and stares glumly down at his thighs. “I was telling Louis that I’ll have to spend longer in a binder when we go on this vacation and it just… set something off, I guess.”

“Oh.” She slides closer to Rin and drapes an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close to her. “And I'm sure he told you that you don't have to, but… I know it's not that simple.”

“Yeah,” Rin sighs tiredly. “I told him I  _ needed  _ to and I could tell he didn’t really understand what I meant. But I know he’s trying.”

“Well… why didn't you tell him what you meant?” She shrugs. “I know it's hard to talk about, but… he's important to you, and you're important to him. I think… communication is just as important in  _ this _ way as it is when it comes to sex, you know? Especially if you want things to work out, which I know you do.”

“I know,” Rin mumbles, sulking. “It’s just hard.”

“Sorry, I'm not trying to lecture when you're already feeling lousy.” She presses a kiss to the side of his head. “I wish there was something I could do to make it better.”

“It’s okay. I appreciate everyone’s support.” Rin smiles. 

Aria stiffens in place, and then sits up straight, out of the blue. The movement jostles Rin’s head from her shoulder. “You know what? I just had a thought. It won't fix everything  _ right away _ … but…” She grabs Rin's hand, then stands up and tugs him up with her. “Come with me, okay?”

“Ooohh, are you whisking me away to Neverland, Ari?” Rin teases.

Her genuine peal of laughter is enough to lighten Rin’s gloomy mood. “Close. Okay, not close, but it's the thought that counts.” She drags him across the hall into her bedroom and points to the bed. “You. Sit down. And don't look.”

He does what he’s told and covers his eyes. He can hear her flitting around the room in search for something, muttering quietly to herself until she says clearly: “Actually it's totally not necessary for you to cover your eyes, I guess I kind of just… wanted to build dramatic anticipation. Here.” As Rin pulls his hands away, she hands him an organizer with all its folders clearly labeled. “You'll know when you see it. And you can have what's in there.”

“Aria, what—” He sorts through the folders, glancing at their labels. He’s at a loss for words, unsure in what he’s seeing.

GUITAR is the first label he sees in the organizer, but it's completely empty, unlike the other two folders. Rin wonders how long it’s been empty or if Aria’s been pulling her savings from this particular section for  _ years _ , because the rest of the organizer is  _ thick _ . The second file doesn’t surprise him nearly as much as it shoulder. RIN’S T-DOSE is written in Aria’s familiar, cursive handwriting and taking a peek inside, Rin sees there’s already a few haze inside. It’s not much—he didn’t expect there would be considering his latest shot was this month after all, but the thickness of the file worries him.

If the first two files barely have any haze inside, then how much does the last file contain?

He reads the label of the final file, and can’t process the words. He reads it again. And again. He glances at Aria, who watches him closely, a small smile on her face. He stares back at the file, studying the label so intently, the words start to blur.

RIN’S TOP SURGERY is written in big, black bold cursive. It’s the thickest file in the whole organizer. He peers inside, almost hesitantly, and feels tears prick his eyes.

“Wha-what is this?” He manages through his shock.

Aria joins him on the bed, feigning innocence. “I dunno, what does the label say?” Rin can hear the smile in her voice.

He turns to her, eyes wide as saucers. “Aria, you can’t be serious.”

“What does the label say, Rin?” She presses, her expression serious, yet warm and gentle. 

He’s dumbfounded. He stares at the label again, at the wads of haze inside and then back at her.

“You… you could’ve bought your guitar twice over with this b-but instead you just…” He trails off, suddenly overcome with emotion. He feels like he’s going to cry.

Aria shakes her head gently. “Just nothing. There's a folder in there for that, too, and I was saving for it, but since you were the most thoughtful brother in the world and  _ bought _ it for me, I was able to put that money in the surgery folder, and now we're just over three-fourths there, Sunshine.” She smiles, placing her hand on his shoulder.

The dam on his self-control breaks. “ _ Aria! _ ” He wails, wrapping his arms around her tightly. He buries his nose into the crook of her neck and cries.

She returns the hug, smoothing her hand up and down his back and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “You're worth it, Sunshine. You're worth every penny and more.” Her smile widens. “Those better be happy tears.”

When Rin manages to restabilize himself again, he pulls away, wiping snot on his pajama sleeve. “They are! I’m so happy, Ari!  _ Thank you! _ ”

Aria laughs and wipes the rest of his tears with her thumb. “It took me a really long time to save this much, but with my job… I'm positive I can have it finished by the end of the year. It probably won't be in time for the vacation, which… I guess is fine, because you probably wouldn't have been recovered enough to  _ go _ by then, but… I think it's probably safe to say that you can call and make your appointment any time. As long as it's for after the turn of the year.”

“Thank you, Ari, honestly.” Rin smiles warmly. “Words don’t do what I’m feeling justice.” He hugs her again. “I love you so much!”

Aria’s embrace is just as tight as his own. “I think I understand, though. I love you, too, and honestly, seeing you happy is worth every penny. So… just… keep being my happy Sunshine, okay? That's all I want, or  _ need _ , in return.”

“I’ll try my best.” He promises.

“Also,” She meets his eye seriously. “I think… you  _ really _ need to talk to Louis. You need to make him understand that it's not being yourself around  _ him _ that bothers you.” She tidies his hair idly.

He nods slowly, though his expression turns anxious. “Y-you think he’s upset? He didn’t seem to be when he left.”

Aria shakes her head. “No. He's not upset.” She meets his eyes and puts a hand gently on either side of his face. “But he thinks you are. With him.”

“I’ll talk to him.”

“You don't have to tell him everything right now.” Aria lowers her hands and smiles gently. “Just… find a way to reassure him that your feelings haven't changed.”

“I will, I promise.”

* * *

Downstairs, Louis is pacing. He runs a hand through his brown hair, letting his fringe fall over his eye again as he makes another lap around the living room. He’s been pacing for the past fifteen or so minutes now and still, there’s no sign of Aria or Rin. Various scenarios of what they may be doing up there play through Louis’ head, and not one of them makes him feel any less anxious. A thought pops into mind and suddenly, he stops in his tracks and turns to Yakumo.

“I may have ruined our vacation plans.”

Yakumo blinks in confusion. “ _ Huh _ ?” He responds eloquently.

“Rin,” Louis states as if that were enough to clue Yakumo into what Louis is thinking. “I may have ruined everything with Rin.”

“C’mon man. I doubt that.”

“You don’t understand, he was very frustrated with me. I’ve never seen him so…  _ bothered _ .” Louis sighs and returns to pacing. He’s already thinking up ways to apologize when Yakumo’s voice filters into his mind.

“Louis. Come sit. You're just making yourself more stressed by standing there pacing.” Yakumo points at the chair closest to him.

Louis takes up Yakumo’s advice and collapses in the chair. He feels more tired today than he has in a long time. “I’m trying to think rationally but every conclusion I’ve come to says Rin is upset I couldn’t understand his feelings.” He sits up straighter in his chair and gives Yakumo a wide-eyed stare. “Do you think he’s going to break up with me?”

“Of course he isn’t,” Yakumo reassures him, his tone is both gentle and incredulous. “I understand that you're concerned. But you know Rin is made of way stronger stuff than that. And he cares about you. You think he'd let one misunderstanding ruin that?”

“It’s  _ possible _ , Yakumo.” Louis presses irrationally. “I’ve been looking into transgender issues and found a forum of others breaking it off with their significant others for less. This is serious. He was feeling dysphoric and I couldn’t understand that.” Louis buries his face into his hands, quietly ashamed of himself for his inadequacy. 

“Louis.” Yakumo’s tone evens out, sounding more serious in the hopes that he can make Louis see how ridiculous he's being. It’s working somewhat. “Is Rin any of those people?”

Louis sits up straight. “No. Absolutely not.”

“Exactly. He's different. If he's proven anything at all to us it's that he's loyal to a  _ fault _ . It will take more than  _ one _ misunderstanding to make him want to break it off with you. If you looked at the two of you… the way you look at each other and the way you act around each other… you wouldn't be worried.”

Louis takes a deep, calming breath and exhales silently. “You’re right. Sorry. I’m acting ridiculous.”

Yakumo snorts. “But you're not  _ actually _ soothed, are you?” He smirks knowingly.

“Not until I hear it from him,” Louis confesses.

“And that's how you know you're really in love.” Yakumo laughs, but it doesn't really hold any mirth. “I know everything will be fine. When have I ever steered you wrong?”

Louis gives Yakumo a pointed look. “I could name a few situations, but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.”

“I’m  _ offended _ , Amamiya,” Yakumo declares, sounding scandalized, despite the wry grin on his face. “I give  _ excellent _ advice.”

Louis frowns playfully. “That’s a controversial statement.”

Yakumo shakes his head and tries not to laugh. “When we discover I'm right, I'm going to do the most obnoxious 'in your face' celebration you've ever seen.”

It’s Louis’ turn to look scandalized, but before he can get the chance to think up a reply, footsteps thumping down the stairs signal the twins return. Louis is out of his chair before he realizes it. He anxiously watches Rin, taking notice of his blotchy, red cheeks and the redness in Rin’s eyes. He isn’t one to jump into horrible, dramatic conclusions, but for whatever reason, he can’t seem to stop himself from thinking the worst.

Rin turns to Louis and gives him a small, tentative smile.

“Can we talk outside?” He asks tentatively.

Yakumo's eyes shoot open, and he turns to look at Louis, then at Rin in surprise. 

Something drops in the pit of Louis' stomach. His dread feels overwhelming. “Y-yeah, sure. Whatever you want,” he manages to say steadily. He shoots Yakumo a glance before following Rin onto the front lawn. The last thing he sees before he turns is Aria's curious gaze as she leans over and whispers something in Yakumo's ear. It does nothing to assuage his anxiety.

“Rin are… are you alright?” He asks once they’re finally outside on the lawn.

Rin turns to face him and takes his hands. “Yeah, I’m fine.” 

“Are you sure? You look like you’ve been crying…”

“Aria reminded me that… there are some things we need to talk about.” Rin starts, voice low. Nervous, even. “And I’m… I’m not ready to do that just yet, but… I want you to know that I’m not mad at you.”

Louis’ eyes widen. “Y-you’re not?”

Rin shakes his head slowly. “I’m sorry, it's my fault. When I get dysphoria, it’s… just hard to talk about. It makes me feel frustrated, and I  _ know  _ you want to understand, but it’s not something that can be understood if you’ve never felt it yourself, you know?”

Louis feels his muscles relax in spite of himself. “Yeah, I understand,” He sighs then pulls Rin into his arms. “I  _ want  _ to, though. Please… when you feel that way, I want to know. When you’re ready.”

“I know.” Louis can hear the smile in his voice. “I’ll tell you, I promise.” He stares up at Louis, violet eyes sparkling like the stars in the sky. “I love you.”

Louis’ breath hitches. His heart is hammering wildly in his chest. “I-I’m sorry, say that again?” He stutters, suddenly desperate.

Rin’s smile turns impish. “I  _ said  _ I  _ love  _ you.”

“That’s what I thought you said.” 

He leans downward, lips inches away from Rin’s when a familiar gasp reaches their ears. Louis turns toward the front door, half-expecting to see Aria or even Yakumo standing there, watching them, but to his surprise, the door remains closed. Rin laughs and it takes Louis a moment to realize why. Watching them from the porch, just across the lawn, is Murasame and another familiar face.

“Don’t stop on our account.” Murasame grins with wide eyes. “Please, do continue.” 

Mia pokes her head from the open doorway, green eyes just as wide, but she has the decency to look embarrassed for spying. “Murasame,  _ please _ . They’re trying to have a moment!” She half-whispers.

“And _ I’m _ trying to get them to continue.” Murasame insists, turning her attention back to the boys. “Go on, go on. This is the best part!”

Louis sighs. He turns back toward Rin and presses their foreheads together, an overwhelming sense of relief washing over him.

“Next time,” Rin whispers against his lips.

“Absolutely,” He smiles. Pulling away from Rin, Louis turns toward the girls. “Sorry to break it to you ladies but the show is over.”

“Oh come on” Murasame whines.

As Louis takes him to the door, Rin calls out: “Tune in next week for more drama and comedy, starring  _ yours truly!” _

“You better!”

Louis closes the door behind him and sighs.

He’s met with the familiar sight of Yakumo smirking at him with his arm wrapped around Aria’s shoulders. She is smirking at him too, and Louis can’t help but try to fight the blush from his cheeks. He’ll be hearing about this for weeks to come, won’t he?

“So, no catastrophes to report?” Yakumo asks teasingly.

Rin tilts his head curiously. “Should there be?”

“I dunno, Louis, what do you think?” The pointed look Yakumo gives him makes Louis’ hackles rise.

Louis pulls Rin toward the stairs, and says, “I’m sorry, I seem to have acquired selective hearing. We’ll be going to bed now.” He stops on the first step and gives Yakumo a glare. “And that is  _ all  _ that we will be doing. Good night Aria.” He gently pulls Rin along, who wishes them both goodnight. Yakumo and Aria's shared laughter can be heard all the way from Rin's bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk Code Vein & the quartet with me on twitter!!


	35. Yakumo & Aria (III)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So, I went to the grocery store and got everything you said you needed," Yakumo tells her. "I don't think I've ever had homemade fettuccine alfredo before. Always the frozen stuff."
> 
> Aria chuckles and shakes her head. "That stuff's not bad, but… you'll see what it's _supposed_ to taste like later," she muses.
> 
> Yakumo smiles. "I'm always impressed with how much you've learned to cook. I've seen you do Italian, Asian, French… and it's always so good." He guides her around a corner. "You taught yourself?"
> 
> "Youtube helped with some of it, Gordon Ramsay with other bits, but I can't follow exact recipes because, like we've talked about, there are some things Rin just won't eat.” She chuckles fondly, shaking her head in amusement at the thought of her brother. "Coco used to like it best when I cooked, though. She can cook basic things, but when I did, we always had fancier food. I like to experiment."

In her entire life, Aria doesn't recall ever having spent the night at someone else's place before. Sure, there's Coco's place, but even though it was actually Coco's apartment, she'd always told them it was their home, too. Aria hadn't had the friends Rin did in high school, so things like visits to friends' houses or sleepovers were just… not available to her.

It's probably a normal thing. Some kind of teenage rite of passage that she missed out on, just because she wasn't like the rest of them. 

Because of that, she felt an immediate sense of uncertainty when Yakumo asked her to come to his apartment on Thursday. She trusts him, it's not a matter of that. She trusts him so much that it scares her, as paradoxical as the concept is. She trusts him with her heart, with her body, with more secrets than she even trusts _herself_ with most days. At the same time, that trust scares her. She's afraid that one day, he'll decide that a month dealing with the Frey Crisis du Jour is too much… and who would blame him if he did? She's afraid he'll decide that she's damaged goods. Aria _knows_ she is, so… who would blame him if he did?

Above all else, she's afraid that Yakumo is just another person she might eventually lose someday, because she is the way she is.

Because of all that, her instincts told her to say no when he asked. She'd fought against those instincts, though, and told him that she'd be happy to stay the night with him on Thursday at his apartment. It isn't a lie. Not even a little bit. She's pushed past so many boundaries with him, gotten so comfortable with him, that she truly _is_ happy to stay with him. It's just a matter of shaking off the last remaining bits of worry.

It happens when they're walking down the street, on their way to his apartment.

The area of town is unfamiliar, but Yakumo has his arm protectively around her shoulders. The gauze wrapped around his hand reminds her: he's not like the guys she's used to. He's different. He's _Yakumo_. He hasn't cast her aside just because things aren't easy. He knows how she is, and in spite of it, somehow he manages to care about her. He holds her until she falls asleep, looks at her like she's someone to be treasured, and kisses her like she's the only woman he wants to kiss.

As she settles into his side on their way down the street, the last bit of doubt is chased away.

"So, I went to the grocery store and got everything you said you needed," Yakumo tells her. "I don't think I've ever had homemade fettuccine alfredo before. Always the frozen stuff."

Aria chuckles and shakes her head. "That stuff's not bad, but… you'll see what it's _supposed_ to taste like later," she muses.

Yakumo smiles. "I'm always impressed with how much you've learned to cook. I've seen you do Italian, Asian, French… and it's always so good." He guides her around a corner. "You taught yourself?"

"Youtube helped with some of it, Gordon Ramsay with other bits, but I can't follow exact recipes because, like we've talked about, there are some things Rin just won't eat.” She chuckles fondly, shaking her head in amusement at the thought of her brother. "Coco used to like it best when I cooked, though. She can cook basic things, but when I did, we always had fancier food. I like to experiment."

With a smirk, Yakumo shrugs. "You won't hear me complain. I look forward to benefiting from those experiments."

She laughs softly. "Gotta admit, I'm surprised you asked me to cook my favorite tonight. You could've had barbecue pork chili again!" She turns to look up at him, eyes glimmering playfully.

"Yeah, well… I've heard this rumor that you have a tendency to look after others so much that you forget that you have wants and needs, too." Yakumo hugs her tighter to him. "Wanted to make sure you had a night where you could eat your favorite food and share it with me."

Aria regards him with soft eyes, her lips curling into a warm smile as she leans her head against his side. How in the world had she ever doubted him? He's a genuinely kind and thoughtful person. He's done so much to make Aria happy… and here he is, doing more.

Grinning playfully, Aria peers up at him through her lashes. "Bold of you to assume I'll share."

Yakumo scoffs, sounding scandalized. "Wow. I'm offended. And to think I baked a strawberry daiquiri pound cake for dessert, but if you're not gonna share dinner with me, then I guess I won't share dessert with you," he huffs.

Eyes twinkling mischievously, Aria asks, "Pound cake, you say?"

It seems like Yakumo is unaware of her intentions. "Yeah! A strawberry daiquiri one. My own recipe," he answers innocently.

Evidently, Aria is channeling her inner Rin at the moment, because all she can think of is the dirty double entendre behind the concept of a pound cake. Aria tries with all her might to bite down the jokes she's cultivating in her mind, but inevitably, her playful mood and her comfort around Yakumo get the better of her. She pulls back from him, meets his eye, and feels her cheeks heating up when she speaks.

"A strawberry daiquiri _pound_ cake, hm?" Aria bites her lip playfully.

Yakumo's eyes shoot open. "Uh… I mean I—" He stammers, his cheeks turning deep pink. "I didn't mean I wanted to… well, I do want to… but I… I didn't—"

She steps a little closer, bounces onto her tiptoes, and speaks into Yakumo's ear, her voice a soft, sultry murmur. "They say a way to a woman's heart is through her stomach, you know? Baking a cake is some next-level strategy."

As Aria is about to stand flat-footed again, Yakumo puts his arm around the small of her back and holds her in place, before turning his head to capture her lips in a deep, slow kiss. It's _similar_ to their other kisses, but there's a level of fervor behind it that Aria doesn't think she's experienced before.

All of their kisses have definitely had some level of passion, of wanting. This one, though… this one sends an electric jolt straight from her lips to her heart, making it beat faster as he places both his hands on her waist and holds her gently in place. She reaches out, placing her hands lightly on his chest, and then grasps his shirt loosely. It doesn't even occur to her that they're still outside, standing on the sidewalk, in full view of several people walking down the street.

Somewhere nearby, a wolf whistle and a cheer can be heard, followed by the sound of a second voice—one of a middle-aged woman—laughing warmly and calling them adorable. Realization dawns on Aria and Yakumo at the same time, as the kiss breaks, Aria looks around for the sound.

Yakumo's cheeks are bright red. "Looks like we've uh… attracted the attention of my neighbors," he mutters.

Aria's face is just as red as Yakumo's, if not more. "Looks like it," she muses.

Sliding his arm around her waist, Yakumo asks, "Wanna go inside? My building's right here." He gestures to a nearby building.

Aria follows his hand and blinks. She isn't sure where she expected he'd live, but the massive, twenty-floor apartment building isn't it. She hasn't been paying too much attention to downtown Vein as they walk through it. She's been more interested in Yakumo, keeping her attention on him and appreciating everything about him. Now that she's looking around, she notices several other similar apartment buildings

Some of the buildings are on top of shops and others are small two-or-three-story apartment buildings that look like they could be home to larger apartments. Yakumo's complex seems to have far more going on inside.

It also seems to be the tallest building on the block. Maybe even in all of Vein. She looks up, then back over at Yakumo with a nod.

"Yeah, sure. Which floor do you live on?" she asks.

Yakumo points up, then leads her to the front door of the building. "Top floor. Way in the back corner. It's a small, one room. Kinda run down, and my landlord's too lazy to really fix it, but it has a really nice view of Vein River. You should see it at sunset," he smirks.

Excitement widens Aria's eyes. "Sunset's in a couple of hours." She suggests as he guides her to the elevator.

"I'll take you to the roof, then," he says with a grin. "A few years back when I felt like splurging a little, I bought myself a pair of nice outdoor lounge chairs and put them up there. I used to go up and watch the sunset, when I had time."

Grinning wildly as she leans against the back wall of the elevator, Aria says, "Wow. Remind me what contest I won to get to be with a romantic like you?"

Yakumo turns toward her and smiles bashfully. Aria uses the advantage to take him off guard, pulling him by the belt loops in his jeans and positioning him directly in front of her. She's pleasantly pinned between him and the wall. Over Yakumo's shoulder, she can see that the slow elevator is only on the third floor, which means they have plenty of time. Her fingertips trails down his face, fingernails gently scraping his jawline, and she meets his gaze.

"Every time I'm with you, I feel like I won the lottery. You chose to let _me_ in… chose to trust me, and I'm still not sure what I did to deserve it." Yakumo's hands rest on her waist, in the center of her red tartan corset-dress. His fingertips graze one of the black ribbons that tie the corset together, tracing her rib in the process.

Heat floods Aria's cheeks for a wholly different reason. "Everything," she answers, then laughs softly and captures his lips. The kiss is brief, but no less satisfying. "In three weeks, you've seen me at all kinds of different lows. You never ran. You never saw me as a lost cause. You… you look at me like that, even knowing what you know. You defend me when others wouldn't. You just… you deserve it. Trust me. You do."

When Yakumo leans in for another kiss, Aria stands on her tiptoes to meet him halfway. The kiss, the feel of Yakumo's hand moving from her ribs to rest on her cheek, the pleasant sensation of being pinned between Yakumo's warmth and the cool metal of the elevator… Aria feels like she's in overdrive. His touch leaves little pools of fire wherever it lands, which spread across her body and send her heart racing in her chest. Every inch of her body is telling her to wrap her legs around Yakumo's waist and let him fuck her against the wall of this elevator.

She loves him. She loves him with every fiber of her being and she wants to tell him. She wants to tell him that she's his, that she wants to be his for as long as he'll let her. In fact, she wants to tell him so badly that she opens her mouth to say the words, but before a single sound can come out, the elevator comes to a stop and the doors open slowly.

A middle-aged mother and her two teenaged children stare, wide-eyed, at the pair of them as they step onto the elevator, and Aria can see both of their faces flushing deep crimson as they separate. They don't separate completely, however. Their hands are still locked as they lean against the back wall of the elevator and Aria desperately tries to calm her racing heart.

"Oops," she whispers.

Yakumo simply laughs, but there's a definite gravelly quality to it that makes Aria's heart race all the faster.

The mother and her children are riding to Yakumo's floor, and fortunately, by the time the elevator stops to let them all out, Aria's heart has calmed to a manageable speed. She shoulders her backpack with her pajamas and tomorrow's clothing in it, and follows Yakumo's lead as he guides her down the hall. The mother and children stop at one of the first apartments they pass, and Aria watches as the two teenage girls giggle and cast them a glance, before disappearing inside.

"That's Jessica Davis and her two youngest," he explains. "Her oldest daughter lives here, and they visit her a lot."

Aria blinks and looks over her shoulder. "Jessica Davis?"

Yakumo nods. "Yeah. Why?"

"Like… wife of Police Chief Tyrone Davis, Jessica Davis?" She quirks her head curiously.

Yakumo blinks, but nods. "You know Davis?"

Aria nods, too. "Yeah! He helped Rin and I a lot when we lived out on the street. I'm actually…" She laughs. "I'm actually still convinced he's the one who told Coco where to find us. So that's Jessica, huh?"

"Yeah, that's her," Yakumo muses, laughing softly. "Wow… you ever think about how unfair it is that we didn't get to meet sooner?" His face is sheepish, but slightly solemn, too.

Aria looks at him with a warm smile, but nods her understanding. She wonders what her life would have been like if she'd met Yakumo sooner. Rin could've met Louis sooner, and maybe they could have found this comfort, this _happiness_ sooner. She imagines protecting Yakumo from Emily's lies. She imagines what it would've been like dating Yakumo instead of Rocky in high school. Would she be such a mess?

She laughs softly as she looks back his way. "We know each other now, though. That's the important part."

Yakumo slides his arm around her waist again. "Yup. We know each other now, and you're the most amazing girl I've ever known," he tells her.

Aria's face heats up a little. "I'd say you're the most amazing guy I've ever known, but I know Rin. I hope you're okay with sharing the title." She smiles and winks playfully.

"Wouldn't expect anything less, Ari." Yakumo smiles, then releases her hand and digs into his pocket for his keys.

As they stand together in front of Yakumo's door, Aria hears an annoyed huff in a familiar voice, coming from the door across the hall. She turns her head just in time to see the door click closed, and she hears the sound of a siding lock clicking into place shortly thereafter.

In the back of her mind, she remembers Emily bragging that she and Yakumo are neighbors. Aria's hackles rise again. It's been a while since Yakumo has even _mentioned_ Emily. Since that encounter on the rooftop, actually. A part of Aria wonders if she'd accidentally caused the end of one of his oldest friendships, but Yakumo hasn't seemed fazed at all… or even remotely disappointed. Neither the sound of the scoff, nor the sliding lock, register on Yakumo's radar.

The next thing Aria knows, he's opening the door and stepping aside to let her in.

"It's not much, but… make yourself comfortable, okay?" he tells her.

Thoughts of Emily are immediately chased away by exactly how… _comfortable_ it feels in the apartment, right away. The first thing Aria notices is Yakumo's familiar pleasant scent radiating from almost everything around her. Beneath the scent, there's a vague aroma of pastry, and Aria realizes quickly that it's coming from the strawberry daiquiri cake sitting on the counter, in a cake tray, covered with a plastic cover.

The rest of the apartment feels very… Yakumo.

Rustic furniture in warm tones to match his warm personality. A punching bag sits in the middle of the living area, directly behind the counter. Aria sees a pair of ice skates hanging on the wall by the door, and she finds herself wondering how often they get used.

Yakumo's bed sits against the far wall, made and undisturbed. A few loose books sit on his nightstand, and Aria finds herself curious, but she tamps the curiosity for the time being. Several photos line the walls. Some of Yakumo's friends—she sees a few of Yakumo with Louis, and some with Yakumo and two guys, who she assumes to be Riki and Miguel. A few show him with Emily as well, and Aria can't help but let her smile wilt just slightly. She feels an odd sense of responsibility for how that friendship dissolved.

Once she shakes the guilt away, she walks into the apartment, idly running her fingers along the formica countertop. She's only been here for a few seconds, but she already feels almost as comfortable as she feels at home.

"It's really comfortable here," she tells him with a smile.

Yakumo smirks lopsidedly. "You think so?"

Aria nods. "Yeah! I feel like… maybe it's because everything here has such a you feel to it, you know? But… I feel like I belong already." She feels heat creeping to her cheeks again. "I feel safe here."

The surprise on Yakumo's face takes Aria by surprise in turn. Yakumo gingerly shucks his coat and hangs it on the coat rack next to his skates. "You are safe here," he tells her. "I'll never let anything happen to you, Ari."

Smiling warmly, she approaches him and stands on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek again. "I know." As soon as she stands flat again, she turns to the kitchen. "So! Let's get dinner made so we can watch some movies, or maybe go up to the roof or something!"

Yakumo chuckles warmly. "We have a couple hours until sunset, so we can probably watch Pulp Fiction or Ghostbusters before we go to the roof," he suggests.

"You, Yakumo Shinonome, have just presented me with the most difficult choice I've ever had to make. Choosing between Pulp Fiction and Ghostbusters is like choosing to keep my right or left arm!" Aria groans in faux-weariness as she watches Yakumo gather his pots and pans from a high cupboard.

Grinning, Yakumo pulls the dinner ingredients from the fridge. "I see you're a woman of culture," he says playfully.

Aria grins. "Ghostbusters is a classic and anyone who disagrees doesn't deserve to live on this planet." She nods sagely as she approaches Yakumo's oven and looks the controls over, trying to familiarize herself with the stovetop. "And anyone who doesn't appreciate Pulp Fiction for the brilliant piece of cinema it is just doesn't understand it."

"Just when I didn't think you could get any more amazing." Yakumo smirks and heads for the living room. "I'll put Ghostbusters on while we cook, how's that?"

Laughing, Aria nods. "I _think_ that you're putting on my favorite movie and helping me cook my favorite food. When I said you used next-level tactics, I wasn't kidding." She grins as she fills the pot with water, then oils the pan, and starts the front two burners.

Yakumo chuckles. "If I knew that was all it took to be considered next level tactics…" He pulls the movie up on his game console, hits play, and then joins Aria in the kitchen. "So, where do you need me, coach?"

_Inside me…_ Aria's mind supplies, and she immediately chastises herself for it. She shakes the thought away, clears her throat, and decides to keep it to herself. A blush warms the tips of her ears as she lifts her shoulder in a shrug. "You can look after this while I chop the garlic, if you want. Put the shrimp in when the butter's melted?"

Once they swap places, Aria takes one of Yakumo's kitchen knives from the block and starts chopping away at the garlic. She points at the skates with the knife. "So, when's the last time you went skating? That looks like a pretty well-loved pair of skates."

Yakumo nods, chuckling, as he pours the shrimp into the pan. "They are. I've had 'em since I was about nineteen? Haven't used 'em for a couple years, though. I keep wanting to go hit the rink sometime, just to see if I've still got it, y'know? Just don't have the time anymore," he explains.

"We should go together sometime." She shrugs and turns to glance at him as she crushes the flat of the blade against another piece of garlic, then starts chopping. "I don't know how to skate, but you could teach me."

With a smile, Yakumo asks, "You'd do that?"

Aria nods eagerly. "It's one of those things I've always wanted to learn to do! Skating around at top speeds must be as fun as it was when you spun me around on the dance floor that one time." She chuckles as she scrapes the garlic from the cutting board into the pan.

"Alright." Yakumo smiles, seeming genuinely pleased by the idea. "Maybe… maybe we can go tomorrow, then. Before I bring you home to get some clothes for work, if there's time?"

She nods eagerly. "Yeah! And then we go make sure Lulu and Rinrin have actually eaten something other than each other's juices." She smirks wryly.

Yakumo laughs aloud, and sidles up behind Aria, placing his arms around her waist and letting his hands come to rest on her stomach. "We laugh, but it's probably a legitimate concern. (He smirks as he watches her cook over her shoulder," he chuckles.

"I left them food. I cooked them a whole dinner before you showed up to get me," she points out with a warm laugh. "Spinach and feta stuffed chicken breast and Spanish rice. I guess we'll see tomorrow if they actually take breaks to eat it."

With a shrug, Yakumo grins. "If they don't, I will."

Aria smirks. "Just means you'll get two home-cooked Aria meals in a row." She turns in his arms and tugs him back so he has her pinned against the counter.

Yakumo laughs huskily as he leans in close. "It's probably bad that I'm hoping they won't eat it now, isn't it?"

She presses her lips to his briefly. "Don't worry, I'll cook you something nice regardless. You'll get your two Aria-cooked meals either way," she tells him playfully.

Aria closes her eyes when he kisses her again, then absently slides forward on the counter, sliding her legs apart and letting him step closer and nestle between them. The intimacy of the gesture doesn't escape her attention, nor does the fact that her skirt doesn't exactly leave a barrier between the skin on her thighs and his pants. It doesn't particularly seem like either of them care at the moment, though. She slides her hips closer, stopping just before she actually touches him, _just close enough_ so he can feel exactly how warm she is.

She breaks the kiss, then tilts her neck just slightly, letting out a soft sigh when he presses his lips to her jaw, to the skin just beneath her ear, to her neck, to the crook between her neck and her shoulder… to her collarbone. Her hands explore eagerly, too, brushing up his chest over the top of his t-shirt, enjoying the feel of Yakumo's warm, defined muscles beneath her fingertips and the fabric. He's enjoying it, too. She can tell. A quick glance down shows his outline in his pants, and he's _definitely_ interested.

He's so close. He's so close to her, his skin is so flushed, his lips are seeking out every bit of her skin that they can find, and she can tell they're both thinking the same thing. 

It's hardly a romance novel, but honestly, this feels even better. Ghostbusters playing in the background, cooking her favorite dinner with her favorite dessert, his lips exploring her body and her hands exploring his chest over his clothes. If this isn't the moment… she isn't sure what is.

"Yakumo, I want… I _need_—"

The very second the words escape, a loud hissing comes from the stovetop next to them. This would be the moment the pasta decides to boil over. They both jump, and Aria slides down from the counter to turn the burner down and stir the fettuccine noodles in the pot. She puffs out a breath of exasperated laughter, then glances at Yakumo over her shoulder.

His whole face is red. He's turning away from her, gathering his overshirt again and trying to use it to cover his lower half.

"I need… just a second. I'll be right back," he stammers.

Aria nods, then watches as he heads toward the bathroom in the back corner of the house. She pauses the movie, then takes a deep, calming breath as she focuses her attention on finishing the meal. It's mostly done already. It's just a matter of mixing and simmering.

Simmering in how close they'd just come to… 

Shaking her head hard to dispel the thought, she strains the noodles and pours them in with the sauce, letting them simmer together.

Yakumo re-emerges from the bathroom. His face is still red. "Uh… sorry about that," he mutters.

Aria shakes her head. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Dream Maker. Believe me." She grins, then gestures toward the couch. "Why don't you go sit down, and I can bring you your dinner?"

Chuckling softly, Yakumo insists, "You don't have to do that."

She shrugs. "I know, but I want to. Go sit!" she commands.

Only when she's sure he's obeying does she get into her overnight bag, gathering the bottle of wine Rin had convinced her to buy. She hadn't been sure about it when they'd gone shopping the night before, but Rin had teased her, telling her if she wanted a real romantic dinner in, she needed to get a bottle of wine to make it the real deal.

Aria has to admit, as she takes the corkscrew from her bag and uncorks the bottle on her way back to the kitchen, there's something about this that feels… really intimate.

_Oh, I dunno, Aria. Maybe it's because he was just between your legs, and you guys were about to fuck? Or maybe it's because you're head over heels, hopelessly in love with him. Or maybe it's both._

She laughs to herself. It's probably a combination of both. A quick look in his cabinet shows that he has no proper wine glasses, but Aria doesn't complain. It isn't the first time she's had wine from a normal-sized glass, and it probably won't be the last, either. She pulls out two small mason jar glasses, and fills them with wine, before bringing Yakumo's plate and glass to the kitchen. She sets them on the coffee table in front of him with a grin.

Yakumo smirks. "Wine from my mason jar glasses? Nice touch."

Aria shrugs as she walks back to the kitchen to get her own food. "I thought so, too," she nods.

"Ari, this is amazing!" Yakumo declares around a mouthful of food.

Laughing softly, Aria makes her way to the living room. "Thanks. It's been a little bit since I've made it, so I'm glad I haven't lost my touch." She glances up at the screen, smirks, then lowers her voice to match the character's when she says: "_There is no Dana only Zuul._"

Yakumo laughs aloud, then continues the scene with the next line. "What a lovely singing voice you must have!"

"Y'know, make fun all you want, but I bet Zuul would be able to hit some _killer_ bass tones." Aria taps her chin ponderously, before picking her fork up and swirling it in her pasta, then taking her first bite. "I wonder if Daryl and the others would be interested in contacting Gozer and seeing if we can set up a duet."

He laughs again as he takes another bite of his dinner. Aria is amused by exactly how much is gone already. "Long as he doesn't possess you and make you start looking for the Keymaster. Then I might get jealous," he jokes.

Aria gives him a playful look, before taking another bite of her dinner. "What, you wouldn't be my Keymaster?"

"Hell yeah, I would," Yakumo tells her with a grin.

"Man, we would be great at conquering the world," she points out. Instead of the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man, we could make the Milky Hog mascot giant. A great big pig on a milk carton, walking around Vein and doing our bidding."

Yakumo laughs even harder as he takes a sip from his wine glass. "Here I am, sitting on my couch with a girl who knows Ghostbusters lore, sings like an angel, and makes the best fettuccine alfredo I've ever had in my life. I think I might've just won at life." He takes another bite of his meal and casts her a soft glance.

Heat rushes to Aria's cheeks. "I dunno, I might give you a run for your money. Sitting here on your couch with a guy who can quote Ghostbusters, protects people like it's what he was born to do, and baked me a strawberry daiquiri cake?" She shrugs and takes another bite

"Call it a draw?" He grins.

Aria nods. "Or we can just say we win together."

Smiling sheepishly, Yakumo nods. "I like that better. Any time a result puts you and me together, I'm automatically about ten times more 'for' it." He chuckles as he finishes the last of his food and sets his plate on the coffee table.

Aria grins as she considers his words. She takes another bite of her dinner, then sets her half-finished plate on the table next to his. It's a good dinner, and she's enjoying it, but her mind is still on something else, and Yakumo's words brought it right back to the front and center of her mind.

Extending her arm, she places it on Yakumo's jaw and turns his head toward her. Her hand stays on his cheek, and she meets his eyes with a smile. "I'm for any result that puts us together, too."

Without another word, she leans in and captures his lips again. It's no different from any of the other kisses they've shared so far. At least, not at first. She starts easy. A slow, gentle kiss to gauge his interest. When he turns his torso toward her, bringing his hand up to rest on her cheek and hold her in place… that's when Aria puts her foot on the gas.

She stands up, never once breaking contact with Yakumo's lips, and moves herself closer. When she sits back down, she's straddling Yakumo's hips, draping her arms loosely around his shoulders.

Only then does she allow the kiss to break. She pulls back slightly, and lets her forehead rest against his. His breath is shaky, heavy, and needy as he looks up at her. His hands flex, like he's still hesitating, like he's uncertain how far he can take it. God, he really is the sweetest guy she's ever known. She's made it all but obvious, exactly how much she wants him. She can see it in his eyes, in his posture, in his breathing, exactly how much he wants her, too, but he still hesitates.

Her lips pull into what she hopes is an innocent but urging smile.

She's about to speak. She's about to tell him that he can touch her anywhere, any _way_ he wants to. Before the words get a chance to form, Yakumo raises his hips and rubs them lightly against the lace of Aria's panties.

The sensation shocks her into awareness, and she pulls in a sharp gasp.

"Aria, are you—"

Aria laughs breathlessly. "Y-yeah… yeah, that just…" She presses a kiss to his lips once more. It's brief, but its intensity promises that more are on the way. "It felt good. That's all."

Yakumo's voice is a low rasp when he replies. "Yeah… it… it did."

A smirk plays upon Aria's lips unbidden. Frankly, she finds it completely and totally adorable, how innocent Yakumo is. Yeah, she was the one who'd gasped, but if that got him so wound up, over his pants, she can only imagine what he'd do if the only thing separating them was their underclothes.

She leans in, pressing her lips to his again, and reaches her hands down between them to work at the button of his pants. As she grinds her hips down against him again, she can feel his length—holy shit he's big—straining against the fabric of his pants. The seam of his zipper presses against her, pushing her panties against her sensitive skin, and she shudders against her volition.

It takes a considerable effort, with their bodies brushing against each other, but Aria manages to work the button and zipper of Yakumo's pants open.

When he lifts his hips to allow her to push his pants down, they brush against hers again, and neither of them is able to stifle a sound this time. He huffs out a breath, she lets out a soft moan, and when he drops back down to the couch, she meets his eyes with a mischievous flicker. Originally, her plan was to remove his boxer briefs, too. She'd wanted him to bury himself completely inside her; wanted to feel him, but at this point, she's way too wound up to even bother.

Another time. She can save that for another time.

She lowers her hips, and in a slow, languid motion, she glides up his length. She can feel him—how hard he is, how big he is—beneath her, and she's unsure whether the moisture she feels between them is his coming from him, or from her.

What she is sure of is exactly how little it matters at the moment. Every brush of his hips feels amazing, and every grind of hers gets a new sound from him.

"F-fuck, Aria… that… that feels…" Yakumo breathes a shuddering breath.

Aria nods and meets his eyes as she grinds her hips down to meet his when he lifts them. "I know. Me too."

She kisses him, harder than she's kissed him before, and reaches underneath his shirt from the bottom with one hand. The other grabs his, pulling the lace strap of her dress down, and lowering the collar to reveal her breast again.

This time, he doesn't shy away.

His thumb, callused but gentle, brushes along the underside of her breast while hers traces the lines of his abdomen. The sensitive touch of his hand on her skin makes her shudder, and she grinds her hips down to meet his again. His index finger brushes her nipple, right at the exact moment that the tip of his length comes into contact with her most sensitive area, and all she can manage is a sharp gasp.

Yakumo's free hand comes to rest on her hip to hold her still, and he rocks his hips in the same exact way, his tip brushing her in the same spot just as fingertips gently tease her nipple, and that's all she can take.

With a cry that's supposed to be of his name, Aria arches her back as the waves rush through her. His touch made her feel… awake. The way he looked at her made her feel like she was the most beautiful person alive, and the way he touched her felt almost like an eraser, like it was taking away everything bad Aria had ever associated with this particular activity. She knows it'll never go away fully, but right now it feels… distant. A faraway memory. Like it's been clouded over with a warm and pleasant haze.

When she comes back into awareness, she notices that Yakumo's chest is rising and falling with rapid breaths, that his boxer briefs are soaked, the two of them mixing together to make a complete and total mess of their underclothes and the tips of Aria's dress, too.

She laughs, collapsing into him and pressing a lazy kiss to his cheek.

"Aria, that was… that was so… god, _amazing_. Unexpected, but just…" Yakumo laughs, embarrassed. "Wow."

Aria grins and presses another lazy kiss to his lips. "Wow is definitely a word for it, yeah," she agrees. "Not what I planned to do, but… but it was definitely good."

Yakumo blinks. "What were you planning on doing?" he asks breathlessly.

With a smirk, Aria shrugs coyly. "_That_ one, you'll have to find out another time."

Chuckling warmly, Yakumo kisses her slowly, lazily, but no less tenderly and lovingly than any other time. "You're worth the wait," he reassures her.

The words, combined with the tenderness of Yakumo's kiss, team up to make Aria's heart skip a beat. She rests her forehead against his, running her fingers down his jaw and brushing them along his lower lip.

"We made a mess," she says with a soft chuckle.

Yakumo smirks. "Yeah. What do you say we get changed into our PJs, take our cake and wine, and go watch the sunset, Heartbreaker?"

"I say… that sounds like a dream come true, Dream Maker."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, things got a little bit steamy here! >:3 What can I say, they have needs!~


	36. Rin & Louis (V)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lourin gives me the warm fuzzies ♥ This chapter isn't quite so NSFW but be warned that Rin's thirst escalates.

With Aria away on her date with Yakumo, Rin is left to his own devices. He has a little over an hour until Louis finishes with his tutoring session and comes over to spend the night. Until then, Rin isn’t sure what he can do to pass the time. He doesn’t have a lot to choose from.

He  _ could  _ spend the next hour and thirty minutes of drawing. It’s been a minute since Rin actually took the time to work on his previous work-in-progress. Alternatively, he knows he could dig out his super-secret-surprise-birthday-gift for Aria from the closet. There’s still a lot of work to be done on the sculpture, like coloring and adding the finer details, and with their unexpected vacation coming up right after their exams, Rin realizes he’s running out of time. The responsible thing for him to do is to take the time he has right now to work on it.

_ Or _ —another idea presents itself—he could become one with the couch and watch TV until Louis’ arrival. This idea holds merit. It’s tempting. Vegetating on the couch, and mindlessly flipping through whatever their current streaming service has to offer sounds like exactly what his brain needs right now, but it’s not quite  _ enough _ .

There’s yet another alternative. He could throw his very own house party like before. The idea of Murasame peeking through his living room window just to see what all the ruckus is about is both hilarious and somewhat traumatic. More than that, though, there's the fact that Rin isn’t really in the mood to drink himself into a stupor, especially if Louis is going to stay the night.

With a defeated sigh, Rin throws himself on the couch and mulls over his options.

He still needs to try on the lingerie he bought on their previous outing… along with wrapping the book Yakumo suggested Rin buy for Louis. But all of that requires movement and the couch is far too comfortable.

With a groan, Rin pulls out his cell phone and scrolls through his contacts. He stops on Aria’s name, an impish temptation taking hold of him. He sends her a text. A few, actually, within the span of five minutes and snickers. He doesn’t expect her to respond; hopes she doesn’t, honestly. He hopes she’s having an amazing time with Yakumo, and that the familiar reprieve of Yakumo’s presence is enough to ease the lingering tension from Aria’s shoulders from the past week. 

From Rin’s T appointment to their discussion, to Rocky and the money for his future top surgery, too much has happened in the past few days for Rin to wrap his head around. Scratch that, too much as happened in the past  _ month and a half  _ for him to keep track.

He shakes the thoughts away and rubs the heel of his palm against his eyes.

“Lingerie it is,” he decides.

He peels himself off of the couch and rushes up the stairs, skipping a few steps as he goes. The lingerie he bought during his shopping spree last week still sits in a plastic bag under his bed. He pulls it out and dumps the colorful lace onto his mattress, examining the small pile. He winces at the matching bra sets. He’s not… too fond of them, but it's easier to buy the lingerie sets than rifling through the bargain bin for something he either won't like or will find too small. 

Rin can’t help but feel a swell of pride when he recalls how kind the cashier had been with him and the devilish look she gave him when Rin explained it was to surprise his boyfriend. It isn’t common, but it's something Rin knows will stick with him. 

He sets the bras aside and stuffs them back in the bag. He’ll give them to Aria later, once he knows for sure that the bottoms are the right size. Left with only panties and thongs, he goes about separating them based on color.

He bought a variety of styles varying from different shades of reds, blacks, and purples. They’re all gorgeous in their own way, some with intricate lace patterns, others with straps that work as a garter belt, and some are just intricate in the sense that they’re complicated to put on. Rin starts with the basics and moves up from there. He doesn’t have much time to try them all on, so he picks the least complicated-looking from the bunch. 

It’s a boy short set that comes with a matching lace-up bra. The lace is cherry red in color, with a high-waisted black lace-up garter and black straps that feel like polyester. He slips it on, unlacing the strap in order to fit it properly into place. The boyshorts resist his butt at first, but with a few careful wiggles, Rin manages to finally slip it into place and ties it to completion. He stares at himself in the mirror, taking in the lingerie and how it hugs the curvature of his butt cheeks comfortably.

_ I think this is a keeper,  _ he muses, striking several poses.

He nearly jumps out of his skin when he hears the doorbell ring. He glances at the clock: Louis is thirty minutes early.

“Coming!” Rin calls out, rushing down the stairs and nearly tripping over himself. He rips open the door and give Louis a bright smile. “ _ Lulu! _ ” He announces proudly.

“Rin—” Louis’ eyes widen almost comically. He immediately peels off his jacket and wraps it around Rin’s waist before the other boy can say a word. “ _ Rin! _ ” He pushes Rin into the house and lets the door slam shut behind him. Rin notices how red Louis’ face is.

Rin furrows his brows. “Uh, what are you doing?” 

“Where are your pants?!” Louis cries his cheeks a deep shade of crimson. 

“My pants? Wha—” Realization dawns on Rin and now it’s  _ his  _ turn to blush. “Welp! Guess I just flashed everyone my hoo-hah, huh?” He jokes though he feels more embarrassed than anything else.

Louis looks like he’s torn between dying from the sight of seeing Rin bare legged and devouring him whole. “Rin,  _ please _ , what are you trying to do to me?”

Rin huffs. “Nothing! I was just trying on lingerie I bought specifically _ for _ you. You know, so I can drive you crazy  _ later _ , not now.” He sets Louis’ jacket down on the back of the couch and holds out his hands in a pose. He flashes Louis a cheeky grin. “What do you think, though? Does it showcase my booty well?” He strikes a suggestive pose and laughs when Louis shies away from him. “Is this a keeper then?”

“Rin Frey, you will be the death of me.” Louis exhales heavily. “Also, yes, it’s a keeper.”

With impish delight, Rin tilts his head slightly. “Lulu, do you… do you wanna touch the butt?” He wiggles his butt to enunciate his words.

Louis settles Rin with a startling deadpan expression. “I always want to touch the butt, but I don’t because I have self-control.” He closes the gap between them and gives Rin a kiss on his forehead. “Stop tempting me.”

Rin wraps his arms around Louis and grins. “But what if I  _ want  _ to tempt you?”

“I’ll resist,” Louis teases, chuckling lightly.

Rin pouts exaggeratedly. “But you should give in.” He presses.

“And  _ you  _ should be working on your English homework. Our midterms are soon you know.”

Rin laughs. He pulls away, teasingly rolling his eyes. “Wow, thanks for ruining my non-existent boner, man.”

Louis laughs, and adds: “If only homework could kill mine.” Rin immediately perks up again but Louis points toward the stairs. “Pants, Rin. Pants first then homework.”

“I can’t believe you’re homework-zoning me!” Rin heads for the stairs and yells: “We have the apartment to ourselves for the whole night and you’re  _ homework-zoning me! _ ”

“It’s because I love you and I don’t want to see you fail,” Louis adds, unabashedly laughing.

Rin laughs, though he feels his stomach flutter at the comment. He hasn’t given Louis’ confession much thought since the day he vocalized it. It’s not for a lack of time, Rin has had plenty of time to think about everything in the past few weeks, it’s just… he feels it isn’t necessary. 

To Rin, Louis’ confession makes  _ sense _ . Everything Louis has done for him—for them—since the moment they met, his kindness, his gentleness, his patience, it all gets summarized perfectly into that three-word phrase. Louis loves him. Perhaps more than that is the fact that Louis  _ accepts  _ Rin for everything he is. 

Rin doesn’t have to  _ pretend  _ with Louis. He doesn’t need to crack jokes or play dumb; he doesn’t need to act like the world doesn’t bother him when, in fact, it does. Louis is loving, accepting, supportive. He’s shy, funny, and extremely dorky. He’s… the best damn person after Aria and Rin isn’t sure how in the world he got so lucky.

Thinking about Louis right now makes his chest feel warm.

Rin doesn’t take the boyshorts off. Instead, he slips a pair of comfortable, loose-fitting pants on over them, and grabs his bookbag from the floor. He’s not sure how serious Louis is about doing homework, but he figures he might as well give his boyfriend the benefit of the doubt and humor him for now. 

When he returns to the living room, he finds Louis in the kitchen pulling out plates from the cabinet and setting them down on the counter.

“What are you doing?” Rin asks, watching him with amusement.

“I suspected Aria left us dinner and I’m…” Louis turns to Rin sheepishly. “A bit peckish. Starving, actually.”

“Ah, I see how it is. You flirt with me only to take advantage of Aria’s cooking.” Rin sighs dramatically, stepping into the kitchen and grabbing his plate from the counter. “Alas, foiled by my sister’s wife-tendencies. Woe is me!”

Louis rolls his eyes good-naturedly. He pulls out the tray of chicken from the oven and sets it gingerly on top of the stove.

“I’m pretty sure Aria’s ‘wife-tendencies’ are reserved for Yakumo. What she does for you is more maternal.” Louis loads his dinner plate and moves aside for Rin.

Rin takes a moment to select his chicken and carefully drops it onto his plate. “Are you implying that I’m a helpless baby?” He grins wryly, following Louis to the table.

“I wouldn’t call you helpless, though you  _ are  _ bratty.”

Rin scoffs in mock-scandalization. “I can’t believe you called me bratty! How dare!  _ You _ , who only flirts with me to eat my sister’s cooking!”

Louis laughs along with Rin, but there’s something in Louis’ posture that makes Rin feel uneasy. They fall silent soon after, picking away at their meal. Rin watches his boyfriend curiously. There isn’t anything unusual about Louis that he can see. He doesn’t look stressed, his shoulders are relaxed and low, and the smile Louis gives him is genuine. Still… there’s something  _ off  _ about him. Something is troubling him and the more Rin watches him, the more anxious he feels.

“Is there something wrong?” He finally asks, frowning. He thinks back to his appearance by the door; how quickly Louis covered him up and shoved him into the apartment. Rin didn’t think much of it then, because he found Louis’ embarrassment endearing, but now… he’s not so sure. His stomach sours discomfort pooling into his veins. “Was… was the lingerie thing too much? It wasn’t intentional, I swear. I just… I got distracted trying them on and you came earlier than I expected so—”

“It’s alright, I know that wasn’t planned,” Louis interrupts him gently. He sets his utensil down and rests his elbows on the table, his brows furrowing. “I’ve been thinking about some things.”

“W-what things?”

Louis glances up at him, expression oddly serious. “Us. Me.  _ You _ , mostly.”

“What about me?”

Rin watches him deliberately, his good mood gone. He’s never seen Louis look so serious before, at least, not in regards to him. He muses, idly, as Louis takes a moment to pick his words carefully, that every time either of them sits down to have dinner, it always ends up like this. He’s starting to think the kitchen table is cursed for them. Nothing good happens whenever they’re alone in the apartment.

When the silence stretches on for far too long, Rin grimaces. “Are you having second thoughts or something?” He asks. “Was I  _ not  _ supposed to tell you my feelings?”

“It's precisely  _ because  _ you told me them that we need to talk.”

Rin grips his fork tightly, unsure of where their conversation is heading. He’s having a hard time reading Louis’ expression. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, it’s not like that.” Louis shakes his head gently. “I’m not blaming you for anything—”

“But you’re clearly upset about something so what  _ did  _ I do? If it's about the lingerie I won’t do it again. I can give everything to Aria.”

“Rin—”

“Is it about the vacation?” Rin shoots back instead, his panic rising. “Because I told you I’m okay with it! I  _ want  _ to go. Or is it  _ me _ ? Did it  _ just  _ hit you what it means to be with me?”

“Yes, it did,” Louis says solemnly.

Rin freezes, stunned, but before the rest of his mind can process what he’s hearing, his self-preservation kicks in, and anger flares in place of despair. “Oh so you  _ are  _ having second thoughts!” He accuses, rising from the chair.

Louis exhales noisily and tears his eyes away from Rin. He looks about as irritated as Rin feels, but there’s something else in his red eye that Rin can’t make out. After a tense few seconds of silence, Louis finally returns Rin’s gaze. He looks resigned, sad even.

“I’m not having second thoughts, Rin, and I honestly wish you’d think better of me. I  _ want  _ to be with you.” Louis rises from the chair and approaches him without hesitation. “I  _ want  _ you to rely on me more and to trust me more. I  _ want  _ you to be more open with me about your feelings, your thoughts and your dysphoria.” He stops in front of Rin and takes his hand, his eyes peering down at him pleadingly. 

”You say I don’t understand but you won’t give me the chance to do so. I  _ love  _ you, Rin. That means I love  _ all  _ of you and I want to be there for you through  _ everything _ —the good and the bad.” Their fingers intertwine, and the smile Louis gives him is soft, yet small. “I’m aware I haven’t been doing my part either. I haven’t been as open with you about my thoughts or my feelings. Rin, I’m asking you to be my boyfriend, officially, but I want you to promise you’ll be more honest with me in regards to everything about you and I promise to do the same.”

“So… you’re…  _ not  _ breaking up with me?” Rin ventures slowly.

Louis laughs lightly. “What part of ‘I’m asking you to be my boyfriend’ did you not understand?” He smirks teasingly, but it doesn’t last long. “I would never break up with you, Rin. I’m…” He flushes, and for some reason, Rin finds it surprising. “ … I’ve grown quite attached to you.”

Rin is quiet for a moment, digesting his words. When realization finally dawns on him, a devilish smirk curls his lips upward. “So like… not to be dramatic or anything but would you say you’d rather sooner die than break up with me?”

Louis snorts. “I’m laying my heart bare for you and you decide  _ now  _ is the time to sass me?” 

_ It’s easier to make jokes,  _ is the first thing that springs into Rin’s mind, but all he does is giggle at Louis’ words and brush his thumbs along Louis’ knuckles. He understands what Louis means. Rin doesn’t communicate. He finds it difficult, honestly. Communication has been the bane of his existence since birth,. but here he is with Louis, holding hands in the middle of the kitchen.

Louis wants to be with him. Louis wants a  _ future  _ with him, and the only way for that to work is by being  _ open _ .

“I’m scared,” Rin confesses when the silence becomes too much.

“It’s okay to be scared. I am too.”

“What do  _ you  _ have to be afraid of?”

Louis grips his hands tightly.

“Everything,” Louis confesses. “I’m afraid I’ll say something that’ll cause you pain or make you leave. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. I’ve never been in a relationship, never really… dealt with anything like this or other’s emotions… There’s so much I have to learn and I’m afraid I’ll make irreparable mistakes, but… I know I would rather be with you, learn with you,  _ experience with you,  _ than be alone ever again. That’s my truth, Rin.” Louis stares into Rin’s eyes searchingly. “What are  _ you  _ afraid of?”

“Everything, too.” Rin laughs sardonically. “I’m afraid of us. You. Me. I’m afraid you’ll love me less because I’m not like normal boys. I’m afraid you’ll see what I see or hear what I hear and decide this isn’t worth it. Louis, I’m trans, I’m bisexual, I drink to have fun and I probably spend too much time indoors. I make art but I don’t call myself an artist and I react overdramatically to everything that requires my emotions.” 

Rin looks away from Louis, frowning. “I think about death more often than I should and sometimes I think I should say something but don’t and I’m scared you’re going to realize this— _ actually  _ realize this—one day down the line and say ‘it’s not worth it.’” He turns back to Louis, eyes hard, yet pleading. Unsure. “Are you  _ really  _ sure you want to start a relationship with me?”

“Yes.”

Rin laughs. He really shouldn’t have thought any differently.

“Louis Amamiya, I will happily accept your offer. And as my first decree as your official boyfriend, please make love to me.”

Louis’ laugh is unabashedly loud and deep. He rises from the floor, takes Rin’s lips in a passionate yet gentle kiss then pulls away, though not far enough where Rin can’t pull him down for another kiss.

“After homework,  _ maybe _ .” He teases.

Rin whines playfully. “I can’t believe you’re actually serious about homework!”

“It’s like I said earlier, I love you too much to let you fail,” Louis says as he kisses Rin again.


	37. More Quartet Shenanigans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "If I have to pay attention to this, so do you." Aria sticks her tongue out at him.
> 
> Rin returns the gesture. "No, I don’t. I’m just reading this for fun," he says.
> 
> Aria snorts a laugh. "Oh yes, because the Civil War is so fascinating. And there's so much to be found out about it on your phone, instead of your textbook. Or Louis' butt, which you were staring at like two seconds ago," she muses with a smirk.

Public speaking will be the death of Aria, one way or another.

She's been looking at her speech for her communications class since she started studying, and it looks like it's okay. It looks ready to read. She's practiced it in front of the mirror a dozen times, and now she could probably recite it without much effort. Her essays are mostly written, her composition paper is about two-thirds done, and she has plenty of time to finish it properly, but Louis won't let her stop until she's done.

Rin's boyfriend is a terrible taskmaster, Aria has decided.

Yakumo stands in the kitchen, preparing some leftovers from last night's dinner for everyone to eat. He's been hanging around while they study, and it's hard for Aria not to notice the slight sadness—or maybe _jealousy_—he's giving off as he walks around the apartment watching everyone around him study. He claims that he doesn't want to go to college, claims that he's put that dream behind him, but it's obvious in the way he's acting that he hasn't. Not as much as he says he has, anyway.

She turns to Rin, who looks like he's paying half attention to his history studies. He alternates between staring at Louis and checking his phone, and Aria smirks to herself as she flicks a crumpled piece of paper at her brother.

"If I have to pay attention to this, so do you." Aria sticks her tongue out at him.

Rin returns the gesture. "No, I don’t. I’m just reading this for fun," he says.

Aria snorts a laugh. "Oh yes, because the Civil War is so fascinating. And there's so much to be found out about it on your phone, instead of your textbook. Or Louis' butt, which you were staring at like two seconds ago," she muses with a smirk.

Sighing dreamily, Rin nods. "It’s such a nice butt too. It’s a shame he’s _ignoring_ me though!" He glares pointedly at Louis, who doesn’t acknowledge either of them.

"I have to say, if past world leaders had that skill with ignoring, maybe we wouldn't _have_ to study all these boring historical wars." She chuckles as she points at Rin's textbook.

Rin grumbles, "He was like this yesterday too. We didn’t stop until _all_ of our homework was done, Ari. _All of it_!" He stares at her in horror. "I’m two weeks ahead!"

Aria flicks a piece of paper at Louis. "Looks like Yakumo's not the only one who has to lighten up a little bit with the working, Lulu," she teases.

After a ten-second delayed reaction, Louis finally glances up at them. "Huh? Sorry, did you say something Aria?" he asks.

"Wow, that's… really impressive. But yes. I _said_ you need to lighten up a little bit, Lulu," Aria says.

Yakumo returns with their reheated food and sets it on the table. "You _all_ get to lighten up a little bit, for as long as it takes you to eat this." He smirks and sits on the couch next to Aria. His smile isn't exactly as bright or as easy as usual, but he's doing his best to hide it.

Louis nods. "Thanks, Yakumo." He grabs a plate of leftovers and returns to studying.

With a dramatic groan, Rin throws his hands up in the air in defeat.

Yakumo laughs and plucks the book from Louis' hands. "Not both at a time. Or did you forget the 'coffee cup calculus textbook' incident from senior year in high school?" he teases.

"That was not my fault," Louis decrees with a frown.

Smirking, Yakumo shakes his head. "No, the coffee cup definitely moved on its own." He puts a bookmark in the book and sets it on the table. "And then there's the time you almost walked into that intersection when you were trying to get some 'last-minute studying' in on your way to class the week before we met the twins."

Rin keens, "Please stop studying so much, Louis. Your GPA is already at 4.0. Your grades will be fine!"

"I don’t study to better my grades," Louis confesses. "I just think it’s fun. Besides, I’ve already finished my work for the entire fall semester. I _guess_ a break is warranted."

Chuckling, Aria shakes her head. "I feel like they need to invent new GPAs for nerds like you." Her tone holds no bite, and she's smiling fondly as she takes a sip of her Dr. Pepper.

Yakumo nods in agreement. "That or just put him in _front_ of a class, instead of making him sit through stuff he already knows." He grins as he hands Aria her plate.

"You say that, but I’ve presented that to my professors," Louis sighs. "They said no."

"I remember," Yakumo chuckles, then sits up straight and trains his voice to a prim and proper British accent in a terrible, mocking impression of Louis. "'They wanted me to have a _teaching degree_. As if tutoring and being smarter than they are isn't enough,'" he mocks.

Scoffing, Louis shoots Yakumo a glare. "I do _not_ sound like that."

Wearily, Rin whines, "Why are you such a hot nerd?"

"Louis! Louis, you gotta try to speak in a British accent! It'll be funny!" Aria nods eagerly.

With a sympathetic shake of his head, Louis muses, "I’m sorry, Aria, I can’t do that. I’m worried for Rin’s health."

Aria looks at Rin. "Sunshine, you know you wanna hear it, right?" she asks.

"Please let me shoot my goo everywhere, Louis." Rin sits up and grabs the edge of the coffee table desperately.

Louis frowns, but his eyes dance playfully. "It breaks my heart to disappoint you both, but no can do." He shoots Yakumo a pointed glare.

"What did I do?" Yakumo asks, faux-scandalized.

Huffing in annoyance, Louis says, "You brought up the British accent. I told you to erase it from your memory, clearly you didn’t. Now we’re here." He gestures to the twins.

Yakumo laughs. "It's not _my_ fault you had that Harry Potter phase!" He shrugs nonchalantly. "Did you know he's already housed you two?"

"Bold of you to assume we hadn't already done that ourselves." Aria grins wryly. "And to you guys, too."

Louis’ eyes shoot open. He turns away, flushing horribly red. Rin makes The Louis Sound again, whining like a steaming tea kettle.

With a grin, Aria continues. "Sunshine and I are both Ravenclaws. Lulu, you're a Slytherin. Yakumo, you have total Gryffindor energy." She nods. "I will not be accepting criticisms on this."

"Hey, it matches yours, Louis," Yakumo chuckles. "I remember you saying that it was hard for people to agree on that."

Louis clears his throat. His voice is somewhat thicker when he replies. "Sorting discourse is quite common, yeah." He glances at Rin. Rin scratches at the coffee table.

Snorting an amused laugh, Aria muses, "Wow, there is so much sexual tension on either side of this table."

Darting his eyes away, Louis flushes deep red. "I’m sorry, Aria."

Rin sits back on his lone armchair, pouting. "I’m not."

With a warm chuckle, Yakumo gestures to the table. "Eat your dinner, guys. You gotta get back to studying or Professor Lulu will either have an orgasm or an aneurysm, I'm not sure which."

"Either way, it's an ‘sm’. Sm's are only fun if there's an ‘&’ in the middle," Aria muses nonchalantly.

Yakumo nearly chokes on a forkful of Spanish Rice. "Wow."

Louis chuckles, too embarrassed to comment. Rin munches on his leftover chicken like a petulant child.

After that, their meal continues in pleasant conversation. There's the occasional teasing remark, but most of it is overtaken by exciting chatter about their vacation. When they're done eating, Louis offers to help Yakumo clean up and insists the twins go back to work on their studying.

Immediately, Aria ignores this order and pats the couch next to her. "Come sit with me, Sunshine!" She smiles happily at her brother.

Rin curls up next to Aria and snuggles into her side.

Aria chuckles and puts her arm around Rin's shoulders, letting him lean against her. "Did you guys have a good night last night? Sorry I didn't answer your texts until like… way late."

"It was nice but not what I was expecting. We did homework until close to ten o’clock." Rin sighs wearily. "Did you have fun with Yakumo at least?"

With a nervous laugh, Aria lowers her voice. "Yeah. It was… really nice. Like, it was so simple, but fun. I felt _comfortable_ there, Sunshine. Can you believe it?" she muses.

Rin smiles warmly. "That’s good though, isn’t it?" he asks softly.

Aria nods. "I mean… yeah. It's just weird." She feels her cheeks heating up. "I almost told him I love him yesterday. I was so close to it, but… I chickened out."

"Why didn’t you?" Rin asks her.

She frowns. "That's… that's a big step, you know? And it's like… what if _he_ doesn't love me and… maybe the moment wasn't right… and basically, I'm a coward. That's the long and the short of it." She laughs, embarrassed.

Rin sighs. "Oh, Ari."

"I know." She shakes her head in disappointment with herself. "Who'd've thought that you'd be the more functional twin in a relationship, huh?" Her voice is gentle, but teasing.

"I figured my time would come eventually," Rin says sagely, but then his tone turns serious. "But still, you really feel that way for him?"

"Yeah," Aria mumbles nervously.

Rin smiles gently. "Then you should tell him."

Red rushes to Aria's cheeks. "Have you?" She asks, then looks into the kitchen at Louis and Yakumo, who seem to be having a serious discussion. "Told Louis, I mean?"

With a nod, Rin answers, "Yeah. And we had a talk about promising each other openness from now on. I know it's scary but… you’ll feel better when you tell him."

Aria frowns. "What if he doesn't feel the same, though? Like…" She chuckles softly. "Sometimes I think he might, but then I wonder if I'm just seeing what I want to see. Like… what if I'm tricking myself again?"

"Then we kill him and throw his body in the river," Rin says simply.

Chuckling, Aria kisses the top of Rin's head. "You know what? I like this new… thing. Us being upfront with each other. It feels… it feels like we're really twins for the first time in a long time, if that makes sense?"

Rin chuckles. "Yeah, I know what you mean," he agrees.

Aria grins devilishly. "Yakumo's dick is huge, by the way."

"Is it really!?" Rin declares loudly.

Aria watches as Yakumo and Louis both look from the kitchen, and puts her hand over Rin's mouth, shushing him loudly. "Yes, and if you don't shush I won't tell you details ever again!" She turns red.

Rin mumbles an apology behind her hand and then licks her palm.

She scoffs and wipes her wet hand on his arm. "We didn't like… have sex or anything, but… we did get sorta… we kept our clothes on." She laughs sheepishly. "I could feel it. It's long." She scratches the side of her head bashfully.

Rin stares at her seriously. "Ari, are you going to be able to fit all of it in?" he asks with a snicker.

Aria smirks. "When there's a will, there's a way." She stares ahead with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "And there's definitely a will."

With a lighthearted laugh, Rin nudges her playfully.

~

Yakumo washes the dinner dishes in the sink, glancing over his shoulder at the twins, who immediately abandoned Louis' too-strict study regimen to extend their break. The way they talk quietly would look inauspicious to most, but Rin and Aria have been through a lot to get to this point. For a long time, they've been hiding from each other, and Yakumo knows how big of a deal it is for them to talk honestly with each other.

It makes him happy.

Despite that happiness, he can't fight back a slight feeling of bitterness at the whole point of this get-together. He isn't actually mad. Not really. He's glad to be here with his friends, with his family, but he watches all three of them studying and he finds himself getting frustrated.

It's stupid. Yakumo has come to grips with the fact that college isn't really for him. That's why he's so willing to drain the fund he's been saving for the vacation. He's fine with working at the bar, working security. He doesn't really have any grand dreams like the twins and Louis do, so he has no idea why he would even _go_ to college, if not for hockey. With that in mind, he has absolutely no reason to feel jealous. Still, he can't help it and it's annoying the living hell out of him.

Yakumo shakes it off and glances over his shoulder at Louis with a smirk. "I'm surprised you're not out there throwing their books back in their faces." He laughs softly.

"If I go back out there, Rin’s sexual frustration will tempt me too much," Louis says in a deadpan voice.

As Yakumo closes the dishwasher and bumps it secure with his hip, he says, "You say that like it's a bad thing."

Louis leans against the kitchen sink and crosses his arms. "I don’t think you quite understand what’s going to happen, Yakumo. I have to stay strong for a few more weeks." He stares at Yakumo’s face searchingly. "So…"

Yakumo blinks, ignoring the leading tone in Louis' voice. "Why?" he asks, quietly incredulous.

"That’s not important. What is important is what you plan on doing about college," Louis muses.

With a breath of laughter, Yakumo stares at Louis in surprise. "Wow. Talk about your conversational whiplash. If this is your way of trying to weasel out of the last conversation, you're gonna have to try harder than—"

Louis interrupts him. "Karen says she’ll vouch for you with the financial aid department. Will even help co-sign. And before you respond, she won’t take no for an answer. She wanted me to pass that on to you." He watches him knowingly. "You know how my sister is."

Yakumo is quiet for a few seconds, and he watches Louis like he's having trouble believing what he's hearing. He isn't, not really. It's a very Karen thing to do, to say. A part of him wonders why, though. It's a huge risk. Why would Karen put herself on the line for _him_?

"I… why, though?" Yakumo laughs awkwardly. "I mean… is it because you told her I was starting to drain my fund?"

"Because you’re family," Louis answers simply.

Yakumo laughs softly again, but turns to look away so Louis can't see the emotion on his face. "I don't even know what I'd want to _go_ for, dude… it's… it's a risk," he reminds Louis.

Shrugging, Louis says, "It doesn’t have to be next semester or even the one after that. You can take your time to decide what you want to do, but Karen says she won’t let you wait too long." He chuckles. "She’s already got the paperwork ready for you."

Laughing, Yakumo scratches the back of his neck. "So… it doesn't have to be the next couple semesters, but it probably will, because Karen's going to bug me about it every time I see her?" he asks.

"You might want to decide sooner rather than later." Louis chuckles. "But… why not study business management?"

Yakumo blinks. "Business management? Me?"

Louis nods. "You seem to really enjoy your job at the bar and you’ve been climbing up the ladder there since you were hired. If you study business management, you can open your own bar one day. Or a restaurant." He glances at Aria. "You know, just a thought."

Closing the distance between them, Yakumo pulls Louis into a tight and appreciative hug. "Why didn't I ever think of that?" he muses.

With a laugh, Louis murmurs, "You’re welcome."

"I'll think about it, okay?" Yakumo pauses and chuckles, before releasing Louis from the hug. "Did you bring it up with Karen because I was draining the fund?"

Louis chuckles. "No. She brought it up to me. Right at the start of the semester. She wondered why you weren’t attending," he explains.

Yakumo smiles. "Either way. I don't know what I did to deserve friends… a family, like you guys—and them." He glances out at the twins, "—but I'm really… I'm really happy. I will be, too. With or without the college education."

Smiling warmly, Louis nods. "That’s good to hear, Yakumo. It really is."

Yakumo claps Louis on the shoulder. "What do you think? Think you're composed enough to go break up that moment there and throw their books back in their face? Or maybe we can just say screw it and play video games for the rest of the night," he teases Louis.

Seriousness drains into the edges of Louis' tone. "Only if they finished their homework."

Laughing, Yakumo drags Louis back to the living room with him. "Hey! Professor _Mittleman_ wants to know if you guys finished your homework," he smirks.

Aria smirks coyly. "Uh, yes! I've been done for hours now, Professor Mittleman."

Desperation seeps from Rin's voice like a sieve. "I have a whole month’s work of homework done, Louis! Please! Release us!" he whines.

Louis sighs heavily, as though it's the most annoying thing he has to do. "Alright, fine. I guess we can relax for the rest of the day."

"My question is… are we going to be able to play Mario Kart or will my brother mount his boyfriend and ride him the whole time we're trying to play?" Aria asks.

Yakumo laughs warmly. "_Hey_, maybe Rin won't try and screw me over for once, since he'll be too busy screwing Louis!" he teases.

Rin looks at Louis hopefully.

"Hate to break it to you guys, but that’s not happening. Shall we play?" Louis smirks.

Rin throws his hands into the air and tries to melt into the couch.

With a warm laugh, Aria stands up and drapes her arms around Yakumo's neck. "Looks like he's gonna be twice as obnoxious as ever. You might wanna sit on the chair if you actually want a chance to win." She lowers her voice and whispers to Yakumo, "You okay? You looked a little bummed before."

Yakumo places his hands on Aria's waist and leans down to kiss her softly, probably a little bit too deeply for a room full of people. "I'm great, actually. Never better. I'll tell you what was wrong later, okay?"

The dopey smile that crosses Aria's face is the most beautiful thing Yakumo has ever seen. "You'd better," she says.

"Uuuuuuuuuuggghhhhh do you have to be so gross in front of me?" Rin whines. "I’m suffering here and you two are just doing that in front of me?? So _rude_!"

Yakumo laughs warmly. "C'mon, someone in the apartment's gotta give some affection or it'll burst into flame from the denial." He grins wryly.

Laughing, Aria shakes her head. "Oh wow, that was cold. Or… maybe it was a burn, I'm not sure which."

Yakumo laughs and settles in on the chair with Aria in his lap. He isn't sure how he went from having no family, to having such an amazing one… but whatever he did to deserve it, he'll do it again a million times as long as things stay this way.


	38. Rest & Relaxation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last half of the semester comes and goes in the blink of an eye. One minute, Louis is drilling them to prepare them for their finals on an almost daily regime. The next thing Rin knows, they're all flying across the country for their week-long vacation. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Implied sex in this chapter, nothing too detailed but it's there!

The last half of the semester comes and goes in the blink of an eye. One minute, Louis is drilling them to prepare them for their finals on an almost daily regime. The next thing Rin knows, they're all flying across the country for their week-long vacation. 

The place Louis and Yakumo chose is somewhere Rin has never heard of before. Or maybe he has and he’s just never paid too much attention. After all, going on vacation was something he and Aria didn’t think they’d ever get the privilege to do in their lifetime. 

Based on his research, the place they’re going to is a popular tourist attraction. With a mile-long beach and an ocean view front, the hotel they’ll be staying in for the week is one of the major things Rin is excited to see. More than that, there’s a national park close to the hotel that’s a known tourist attraction. The beach alone has several things for them to do, and a few miles away from the hotel, if Rin is remembering correctly, is a casino strip.

Needless to say, during the hours-long plane ride, he was a bundle of nerves and excitement. He was more nervous than excited, for more reasons than he cares to admit, but by the time their plane landed in the airport around noon, Rin is practically  _ vibrating _ .

One taxi ride later, they're at the hotel and Rin is a whirlwind of uncontained energy.

He points to something on his right and screeches: “Oh my god Aria _look! _It’s _art!!_” He spots something else to the left and dramatically grabs Louis’ arm. “Louis look! Look!! THEY HAVE STATUES!” He stops dead center of the lobby, staring wide-eyed at the heavy chandelier that hangs overhead. “YAKUMO LOOK AT THOSE CRYSTALS!” He wants to scream with how overwhelming everything is. He feels like a child in a theme park.

Aria stops beside him, just as excited as he is, but her energy is far more subdued than Rin’s. “It's… I've never  _ seen _ anything like this bef—” She freezes suddenly, then dashes across the hall and out an open back sliding glass door. “The  _ beach _ !”

Yakumo’s amusement in the twins’ antics is palpable. “Wow,” He laughs. “Remember when he was nervous?”

Louis chuckles lightly, watching the twins. “Is it unfair of me to say that I sort of miss him clinging to me?”

“Hey, Rin, you hear that? Louis misses clingy you.” Yakumo calls out. He glances to Aria, who is eagerly leaning over a railing and singing a silly song about the beach, and smiles fondly. “I don't think I've ever seen her like this before.”

Louis grabs Rin’s hand before he sprints off down a hall and adds: “Yeah, I agree. We have to check in first before you can go to the beach, Aria!”

“But they have a  _ bar _ , Louis! A bar!!” Rin pleads, his eyes wide.

“And we need to find our rooms first before you or Aria get lost, okay?” Louis smirks. He heads for the front desk to register their names.

Yakumo pulls Aria back inside, watching with starry-eyes at how excited she is. “We can spend all the time you want at the beach later, okay, Heartbreaker? I'll stay there with you until the sun comes up.”

“Bold of you to assume I'll come back when the sun comes up,” Aria smirks teasingly. When Rin rejoins her, she turns to him excitedly. “Sunshine can you  _ believe _ this place?”

“Nope!” Rin laughs and grabs her hands excitedly. “I feel like a celebrity!!”

Louis returns to the group less than five minutes later, carrying four keycards. He hands them each a keycard then gestures to a bellhop waiting for them on the left side of the lobby. “He’ll show us to our rooms. After that, we can do whatever we want.” He explains, smiling warmly.

Rin carefully pockets his keycard and follows the bellhop to their temporary week-long home.

The hotel itself is grand both inside and out. There’s absolutely no way Yakumo and Louis could’ve pulled this off without help, and Rin suspects that’s exactly what happened. The night before their departure, he recalls Coco giving them a call and wishing them fun on their vacation. He still feels a little guilty for not going home for winter break, but knows Coco would rather the twins have fun with their new found freedom than let them stay home with her. Still, the twins promised Coco they’d see her for the holidays and for now, that’s enough to assuage his guilt.

Now, as the bellhop leads them out of the elevator and onto the tenth floor of the hotel, Rin slips his hand into Louis’ and laces their fingers together. Louis glances back at him, giving him a warm, gorgeous smile that melts Rin inside and out.

The bellhop stops in front of a door and swipes his all-access keycard into the lock. “This is one room and the other is right next door.” He gestures to the door a little further down and smiles. “I hope you all enjoy your stay at the Blue Crown Lodge! If you need anything, there’s a phone by the bed that leads right to room service. Please enjoy!”

Rin rushes into the room, leaving his luggage by the door and pulls the curtain aside. The afternoon sun pours into the room, bathing his skin in warm, beautiful light.

“ _ Yes _ , warmth!” He purrs.

Louis laughs, dragging his and Rin’s luggage into the room. He turns to Yakumo with an impish smirk. “I guess we’ve claimed this room.” He says.

“Well, considering Aria is already in the other room and out on the balcony looking at the beach again…” Yakumo laughs fondly. “I think that's a safe bet.”

Rin can hear Aria’s voice from somewhere  _ outside _ . It takes him a moment to register what he’s saying and he steps closer toward the balcony.

“ _ Rin _ , open the sliding glass window!” She urges excitedly. “Come outside onto your balcony, you can see  _ forever _ out here!”

He slides open the window pane and steps out into the balcony, eyes widening. She’s right. The ocean view is beyond Rin’s comprehension. The smell of salt is in the air and the distant sounds of waves crashing against the nearby pier echoes around them. Rin is almost positive he can hear music being carried by the wind, and if he cranes his neck just far enough, he can see the boardwalk where a carnival awaits them. 

The rest of the ocean is barren, but beautiful. Rays of light glimmer off its surface, and though they’re small against the brilliant blue sky, Rin can almost make out a few boats trailing along the horizon. The view is everything Rin dreamed of and more. He feels like he can see to infinity.

“Life is beautiful,” Rin murmurs quietly.

Movement from the corner of Rin's eye captures his attention. Its Aria from the balcony next door, waving giddily at him, her smile just as radiant as the sun. “Sunshine, look, it's like we're neighbors!”

Rin laughs breathlessly. His voice carries in the breeze. “We  _ are  _ neighbors, Ari!” He calls back.

“What do you think?” She asks, resting against the railing. “Worth the long trip?”

“Yeah.” Rin glances off to the horizon again. “Yeah, definitely worth the journey…”

She disappears from the corner of his eye and for a moment, Rin is left to take in the beauty of the world. He’s sure it hasn't been long, before she finally rejoins him on the balcony, but to Rin, it felt like an eternity. She hugs him tightly from behind and adds, “I can't wait to share this stuff with you, Sunshine. It's gonna be amazing.”

Rin beams in response. “I’m really happy you’re here with me, Ari.”

She pulls away from their hug and stands next to him, resting her elbows on the balcony rail. “I'm happy we're all together.” She says, her smile warm. Suddenly, it grows nervous as she glances over their shoulder into the room where Yakumo and Louis are still talking. “You think… you think this is what it feels like to have a family? Aside from each other, I mean.”

Rin nods slowly. “Yeah, I do.” 

Aria turns back to the horizon, her smile gentle and her eyes full of emotion. “I like it. I think we've earned it, don't you?”

“Yeah, definitely.”

Louis joins them before long. He leans against the sliding window pane, arms crossed against his chest, his smile languid. “So Aria, I hear you’re a fan of the beach?”

“I've never been before, but I've always wanted to.” She laughs, sheepishly. “Once I get there, I think the hard part will be getting me to leave.”

From where he sits on the edge of Rin and Louis’ bed, Rin hears Yakuimo joke: “Note to self: bring sunscreen.”

Rin laughs. “Oh, yeah! You’re gonna need it. You’re going to turn super pink.” He grins cheekily.

Aria’s smile turns devilish. “As pink as  _ you _ when anyone mentions Louis'—”

Rin places his hand over her mouth before she can finish. He makes a show of glancing conspiratorially over to Louis, who watches them in amusement, and says, “Silence, pleb. He doesn’t need to know the end of that sentence.”

Not wanting to be deterred, Aria points at Louis’ groin region.

“You gotta admire her determination.” Yakumo laughs.

Louis shields his crotch shyly, his cheeks turning pink. “Aria, please. We’re in a hotel.”

“Now you’re going to get a sunburn, Ari. You know why? Because I’m going to perform the bad juju dance.” Rin sticks his tongue out at her but removes his hand from her mouth.

Ignoring Rin’s brattiness, Aria gives Louis a deadpanned stare. “First, it's 'not at your house,' now, it's 'we're at a hotel.' Frankly, Lulu, I'm starting to think you're  _ looking _ for excuses.”

“I have an arsenal full of them. But, I hear the hotel sometimes throws parties down on the beach. If you’re interested in checking it out.” Louis shrugs nonchalantly.

Aria brushes past Louis and leans down to stage-whisper in Yakumo's ear. “You ever get the feeling he's trying to get rid of us?”

“Constantly,” Yakumo quips with a grin. “Shall we take the hint?” He offers Aria his hand and she takes it without hesitation.

“Yeah, I suppose we should.” She smirks over her shoulder at Rin. “You know how to get in contact with me if you need anything, Sunshine.”

Rin watches Yakumo and Aria in confusion. “Are we not going to the beach?” He looks to Louis and then back to Yakumo and Aria.

Louis taps his chin, looking thoughtful. “Actually, there’s something I wanted to take you to see first.” He glances toward Yakumo and Aria and adds: “You two will be at the beach later? Or should I send a text?”

“It's up to her, to be honest.” Yakumo laughs softly. “Wherever she wants to go, I'm along for the ride.”

“No one woman should have this much power… text, okay?” Aria smiles warmly. “Just in case I drag him around town.”

Louis chuckles. “Alright then.”

A rush of anxiety flows into Rin then, and he anxiously grips the edge of his shirt as he watches them. “B-be safe!” He adds, despite knowing that Aria the safest in Yakumo’s company.

As if sensing his anxiety, Yakumo glances to Rin and gives him a reassuring smile. “I'll keep her safe, Rin. Promise.”

“Love you, Sunshine!” Aria calls out before Yakumo closes the door behind them.

Now that they’re alone, Rin can’t help but dwell on his mounting anxiety. He steps back into the room, shutting the balcony door behind him, and gives Louis a curious stare.

Louis looks contemplative and for whatever reason, it only serves to make Rin more worried. “I hope I wasn’t too obvious but something tells me they both saw right through me.” He sighs. He kneels in front of his luggage and starts fishing through one of the pockets. He glances over his shoulder to Rin. “How are you feeling?”

“Anxious,” Rin confesses.

Louis stops what he’s doing and gives Rin his full attention. “About what?”

Rin gestures vaguely to the hotel room. “All of this.”

Louis rises to his feet and carefully takes Rin’s hand. He leads him to the bed and urges him to sit beside him. “Is it too much?” he asks delicately.

At first, Rin shakes his head. Then he shrugs. “A… little… I guess,” he murmurs, brows furrowing. He leans his head against Louis’ shoulder, relishing in his boyfriend’s warmth. “Where did you want to take me to?”

“Oh, uh, well… that was mostly an excuse to get Aria and Yakumo to leave.”

Rin pulls away from Louis in surprise. “Uh,  _ why _ ?”

Louis looks away from Rin, his cheeks flushing red. “I was hoping we’d…” He coughs into his fist. Rin can practically feel the heat of his embarrassment radiating off his skin. “...we-we’d have... sex... today.” 

“S-seriously?”

“Y-yes.”

“Like, now? Right now,  _ now _ ?” Rin grabs Louis’ face and peers into his eyes excitedly. “You mean we’re finally going to fuck?!”

It's almost comical to Rin, how red Louis’ face can get. He carefully pries Rin’s hands away from his cheeks and tries to regain his composure through laughter. “We-Well, I would’ve liked to, but if you’re feeling anxious, now is probably not a good time. And, besides…” Louis gently brushes his hands against Rin’s cheek. “How are you  _ mentally _ ? Do you think you’re feeling up to it?”

Rin takes a moment to mull his question over. His dysphoria has been manageable lately. Focusing on schoolwork and exams has kept him distracted long enough to get past through the worst of it, but now that they’re thousands of miles away from Vein, in a place Rin didn’t even know existed until now, a part of him  _ is  _ worried. 

Deep down, he knows, as he peers into Louis’ worried eyes that even if a resurgence of dysphoria does happen, he can rely on Louis. It won’t make it go  _ away _ , but Louis’ support makes it manageable.

Rin takes Louis’ hand into his own and presses a kiss into Louis’ palm. “I’m up to it,” he murmurs, expression soft. He presses Louis’ hand against his chest, against the binder that restricts his breasts and exhales steadily. “I trust you, Louis.”

“You’ll tell me, right?”

“I promise.” Rin leans into Louis, capturing his lips in a slow, sensual kiss. “But Louis if you don’t raw me right now, I’m going to throw you on this bed and take care of it myself.” He clutches onto Louis’ shirt, fisting it around his knuckles. “You’ve been teasing me for weeks and weeks. Please, I don’t want to wait anymore.” 

Louis chuckles lightly and kisses Rin again, gently detangling Rin’s fingers from his shirt. “As you wish.” He whispers lovingly.

Louis recaptures Rin’s lips. It’s different than every other kiss before and Rin wonders how long has Louis been holding back. The kiss is deep and passionate; Rin can feel the pressure Louis pours into it. Louis pushes Rin lightly, silently urging him to slide up further onto the bed. 

Rin's heart is hammering against his chest as he follows Louis' lead, never once breaking their kiss as they move. Louis follows him with astonishing grace until Rin’s head hits the pillow. Louis dives into Rin’s neck then, peppering his skin with soft, open mouth kisses. They’ve done this countless times before, sucking and licking each other’s necks during times where they couldn’t stand to be apart, but there's something about  _ this  _ time that's different.

Something about this very moment that makes it feel a hundred times more intense than before.

“I’m going to lift up your shirt, okay?”

Rin nods jerkily, voice breathless. “O-okay.” He manages.

He lifts up his hands, half-expecting Louis to peel off his shirt in one swoop, but he doesn’t. Instead, Louis pulls Rin’s shirt up over his navel and plants butterfly kisses against the skin of his stomach. Rin giggles at the light touch. It calms his nerves, so much so that when Louis’ lips trail up to his ribs and to the very edge of his binder, Rin finds that he doesn’t really mind. He sits up, lets Louis pull the rest of his shirt over his head and lays back on the bed, arms wide open.

Louis presses his hand against the binder tentatively. He looks worriedly into Rin’s eyes.

“Is this okay?” He asks.

Rin smiles softly. “I trust you.”

“If you’re uncomfortable—”

Rin leans upward and steals another kiss, hands burying themselves into Louis’ brown locks. “I’ll tell you,” He whispers into Louis’ ear. “Take it off.”

Louis wastes no time. He helps Rin out of the flesh-toned binder and lets it fall off to the side of the bed where Rin’s shirt lies. Completely bare-chested, Rin falls back onto the mattress, violet eyes searching Louis’ face. Louis stares at him, red eyes taking him all in. It makes Rin blush but he doesn't shy away.

In a voice barely above a whisper, but with more confidence than Rin has felt in a long time, he says, “Touch me.”

Louis lays a hand against Rin’s chest. It’s gentle, yet clumsy. The skin on Louis’ palms are callused from labor, though Rin isn’t exactly sure from what, but the way it feels against his sensitive nipple makes him twitch. Pleasure spikes through the pit of his stomach and he releases a shaky breath. Louis’ concerned eyes are immediately on him, but he shakes his head in response and slips a hand beneath Louis’ shirt in silent want.

Louis gets the hint. He peels of his own shirt and soon, they’re both topless, marveling at the other. Rin grins. He reaches for Louis’ pectoral muscle and squeezes. Louis’ face turns a bright scarlet that has Rin laughing in joy.

“I wasn’t expecting that reaction.” Rin blinks in surprise.

Louis’ laugh is breathless. “You’re not the only one who’s sensitive there.” He leans into Rin and kisses him deeply.

Rin moans into the kiss, overwhelmed by the love and adoration Louis pours into it. He lets Louis’ hands roam and relishes in the childlike curiosity Louis expresses when he explores the rest of Rin’s chest. Louis’ exploration continues further. Their pants join their shirts on the floor, followed by their underwear and soon, Rin is entirely bare beneath Louis’ penetrating gaze. 

Louis asks one more time—”Is this okay?”—and for the umpteenth time Rin assures him.

Louis’ preparation is careful, methodical. Rin arches into his touch, soft moans escaping his lips as he feels Louis’ fingers work. He’s burning hot under the attention. 

Louis’ tongue leaves trails of fire against his skin. Rin grips onto any part of Louis he can—his hair, his shoulders—his blunt nails rake against his boyfriend’s skin and the hiss that escapes Louis’ lips has Rin moaning again. He’s never felt this good before. The few times they’ve gotten sexual never felt quite like this. Rin feels like he’s ready to burst, but at the same time, there’s an ache deep inside him that’s begging to be filled. The conflict drives him wild.

“I’m going to put it in, okay?” 

Rin grabs onto Louis’ shoulders, suddenly feeling desperate. “Y-you better…!”

Rin feels it, the blunt pressure of  _ something  _ forcing its way into his wet entrance. It’s thick—it presses against Rin’s walls with a tightness he’s not familiar with and as it slides deeper and deeper inside, Rin’s breath hitches. He feels a slight burn, a quick twinge of pain. His body tenses. He can feel Louis tensing above him.

Louis peppers his face with tender, delicate kisses, shushing him gently and urging him to relax.

“Relax, Rin, shhh,” Louis whispers against the skin of his skin. “I’m here.” He kisses his forehead, his nose, his lips and his cheeks. “Do you feel any pain?”

Rin shakes his head. “N-no it just… it feels different inside than in my hands.” He laughs breathlessly. He loosens the muscles around his legs, adjusting to Louis’ length and girth. “Okay… I think… I think I’m okay.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah,” Rin exhales. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

Louis kisses him once more and uses the distraction to push the rest of the way in. Rin feels full. It’s the best way to describe what he’s feeling. The slight burn from earlier has subsided enough that even if he moves, he doesn’t think the discomfort will return. He urges Louis to move, curious yet excited, and when Louis does, Rin thinks he sees stars.

Rin hooks his legs around Louis’ waist and moans at the slight change in angle.

“I think—” Rin laughs breathlessly again. “—I can get used to this.”

Louis chuckles into Rin's shoulder and carefully leans his weight against Rin's arms. “You ready?”

“Born ready!” Rin beams.

“Good, because after three weeks of having you _ tease _ me, I have a  _ lot  _ of pent up energy to share.” Louis’ smirk is devilish and promising.

Rin blinks, surprised, but the feeling is short-lived the moment Louis starts to thrust. 

* * *

Rin feels sore, both inside and out, as he makes his way to the elevator nearly two hours later.

“You should rest, Rin.” Louis urges him, watching him with a mixture of worry and humor. “We can have room service bring up our dinner. I’m sure Aria and Yakumo wouldn’t mind.”

Rin shakes his head urgently. “No way. We came all this way. I don’t want to spend our first night in the room when there’s a restaurant in the hotel we can enjoy! And drinks!”

Still, the offer is tempting. After three rounds with Louis, Rin would love nothing more than to sleep the rest of the day locked away, but he’s starving and anxious to tell Aria about his experience. He’s also worried for his sister. It’s been ages since they spent time apart, and being in a new place really doesn't assuage his separation anxiety one bit. Louis’ presence is the only thing keeping him from going full-on drama king.

From down the hall, Rin hears a familiar voice: “Okay, I know I said I loved that mall, and you're amazing and everything, Dream Maker, but I love my brother a whole bunch and I'm super not fond of like… this many hours away from him.”

Yakumo’s affectionate chuckle carries through the hall. “I know. We'll find him as soon as we drop this stuff off, okay?”

From just around the corner, heading in their direction, Rin can see Aria and Yakumo with shopping bags draped around their arms. 

“See, this is just one more reason you're the best.” She says and kisses Yakumo’s cheek lightly.

Before either of them notice their presence, Rin throws his arms into the air as though preparing for a hug, though he doesn’t bother moving from his place. “Aria!!” He cries.

“Sunshine!” She bounds up to him and tosses her arms around his neck, then pulls back slightly and smirks knowingly when she sees the blush on Louis' cheeks. “I'd ask if you missed me but I doubt it's necessary.”

“I did miss you!” 

“I see you two went shopping?” Louis adds, quirking a curious eyebrow toward their bags.

Yakumo nods in response. “Had some stuff to pick up for the holidays, and Aria wanted to see the whole mall.” He chuckles fondly again.

“Is that where you two have been all day?” Rin frowns. 

“Yep, and we also scouted out restaurants around town for us to try while we're here.” Aria beckons for Rin and Louis to follow them. “C'mon, let's walk and talk. I'm starved.”

Rin groans but Louis takes his hand and follows them along.

“Don't make your brother walk too much, Ari.” Yakumo teases.

Aria’s smirk is telling. “I know. Just into the room and then to the elevator, I promise.” She swipes her keycard and holds the door for everyone.

Rin collapses face-first onto the mattress the moment its within reach. Louis watches Aria and Yakumo casually from where he stands. Rin glances at him from over his shoulder. He looks… absolutely guilty. Louis is the picture of a child who has done something bad and is torn between wanting to keep it a secret or telling their parents. Rin suspects he’ll be this way until they tell the truth, and while it's endearing knowing that Louis isn’t capable of keeping things to himself, it makes Rin feel like they’ve done the absolute  _ worst _ thing possible. 

Having sex was not a mistake. Rin is still over the moon about reaching that level of intimacy with anyone, let alone with  _ Louis _ . It’s just… Rin bites his bottom lip but releases it before anyone can notice. He knows Aria will be upset once she finds out they forgot to wear protection.

“Did you guys find anything good?” Louis’ voice snaps Rin out of his reverie, and he watches as his sister puts her bags into the small closet in the corner of the room.

She hums a response and slides the closet door shut in front of them. He’s curious about whatever gifts she may have gotten them and hopes that she isn’t too disappointed in them when he tells her the truth. “There's a cute little Thai place that isn't bad with the veggies—they custom cook, Sunshine, so you don't have to have beans or peas in  _ anything _ —and there are a couple of pizza places and one super highly recommended TexMex place where we can get some tacos.”

Yakumo takes a seat next to Rin and gently pats him on the shoulder. “You good there, dude?” He asks.

Rin nods and gives them both a smile. “Yeah, I’m good. I like the tacos idea, for the record.”

“Is it far?” Louis asks, already frowning in worry.

Aria shakes her head. “I wasn’t thinking tonight. Give Rin some time to get his  _ stamina _ back.” She smirks and sits down next to Rin’s collapsed form on the bed. “I figured we could even chill here and order some room service?”

“Yeah, all the way back she was searching for the room service menu on her phone, in anticipation for you guys being…” Yakumo’s grin turns conspiratorial, “ _ exhausted. _ ”

Louis turns pink again while Rin laughs.

“I’m  _ not  _ exhausted, just completely sore,” Rin explains, smirking devilishly. “I regret nothing!”  _ Okay, maybe some things but definitely not the action itself _ . He muses.

“Okay but like… sore is just as difficult to maneuver around as exhausted.” Aria fixes Rin’s mussed hair in motherly affection. “Congrats, Sunshine. And you too, Lulu,” she adds.

Louis looks away bashfully, murmuring an embarrassed but appreciate thank you under his breath. He gives Rin a glance, and a look passes between them. It’s now or never.

Sighing, Rin rolls onto his back and sits up on the bed slowly. “Hey, Ari? We have… something to confess.”

Aria quirks an eyebrow. "Well, that's not ominous," she murmurs sarcastically.

Rin laughs weakly and rubs the back of his neck. “We, uh… well… even though Louis came prepared, we kinda… uh… we didn’t use protection.”

From the corner of his eye, Rin can already see the grim expression on Louis’ face as he anxiously bites his thumbnail.

Aria, on the other hand, is quiet for a few long seconds. Her eyes are wide, her mouth is agape, and she turns to look at Louis with a warning expression on her face. He winces under her stare. She turns to look back at Rin, leveling her expression as she takes a slow, calming breath.

“It's okay. It's… it's okay, we can just… we can just get you the morning after pill or something, just to be sure.” She smiles in an attempt to soothe him, but she still casts Louis a quick unimpressed look. “And you'll just… have to make sure it doesn't happen again. Right?”

“R-right,” Louis manages. “But, and I know this probably won’t help my case in  _ any way _ , I had everything perfectly prepared. I brought everything we would need.”

Aria’s expression of level disappointment doesn’t change, and Rin can see the way it tears Louis up inside. “That's… that's fine, it's not  _ my _ place to get upset. I just…” She stops and shakes her head. “It's fine.”

“It’s not fine,” Rin unhelpfully supplies.

“Aria, I promise it won’t happen again.” Louis pleads. "Please don't be mad."

“I'm  _ not _ mad.” She insists, shaking her head. “I'm just… concerned. Like… the morning after pill is great but it's not a fix-all. It doesn't  _ guarantee _ success. So…” She scratches her head and looks from Rin to Louis. “I just hope… we're all prepared for what  _ could  _ happen.”

Rin understands her concerns. She’s worried about him,  _ for  _ him, and he knows, deep down, that there’s a level of fear in regards to  _ herself _ . He doesn’t hold Aria’s same worries about this, only because his doctors have been quite clear on what it meant for him to start taking T. They’d preserved some of his ovaries for a  _ reason _ , but he figures, telling Aria not to worry will do more harm than good. The most he can do is soothe her anxieties by grabbing her hand and squeezing it comfortingly. 

“Ari, it’s going to be okay,” Rin assures her gently. “You know testosterone lowers my chances of getting pregnant.”

She doesn’t seem assuaged and fixates her gaze on the floor. “Lowered chances doesn't mean no chances, Sunshine. You remember how I felt when  _ I _ thought…” She turns to look at Rin. “I'm worried. That's all.”

“I know, and I’m sorry for springing this on you, but I figured you had the right to know  _ now _ and not sometime down the line.” Rin sighs. 

“Well… I appreciate that.” Her smile is weak, but it's still there. “And I'm not mad at  _ either _ of you…” The look on her face isn't  _ happy _ , but it's not angry either. “But I still think we should go get you a morning after pill  _ just _ to be sure.”

Rin nods slowly. “Okay. We can do that.” He smiles reassuringly. He turns to Yakumo, feeling impish, and desperately wanting to bury the tension in the atmosphere. “Sex is great, by the way. Hope your time comes soon, Yakumouthy.” He snickers.

Yakumo jumps to attention, having formerly been focused on the concern on Aria's face. “ _ Dude _ , your first time was completely unprotected and you  _ still _ have the confidence to sass me?" He joins in on Rin's attempts to lighten Aria's mood. "Who are you and what have you done with Rin?”

“We’re on vacation now, Yakumo. I’m not Rin. Call me  _ Ren _ .” Rin wiggles his eyebrows in exaggerated movements.

Aria stands up from the bed, still not  _ completely _ smiling, but offers her hands out to Rin. “Okay  _ Ren _ . Let's go get some dinner and then I'll go to the pharmacy and get you that pill, okay?”

Rin takes her hands and pulls himself onto his feet with her help. “Okay, but please don’t be upset. It’ll be alright.”

She pulls him into a hug, her eyebrows still holding her tension. “I'm not, it's okay.” She reassures him, kissing him on the cheek. “Everything will be fine, no matter what happens.”

“I promise it will be,” Rin adds, smiling warmly. Rin only hopes that Aria believes him.


	39. Louis & Aria, Yakumo & Aria

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **CW: Things get pretty spicy toward the end of this chapter. XD**

Aria feels like she's overreacting.

She can't help it, though. The fear, the downright terror of Rin somehow ending up pregnant after his first time hits her in waves. The first wave is the realization that no matter how much she tries to prepare him, heat-of-the-moment decisions—or, non-decisions, in this case—can still be made. She can't protect him from everything. The second level of fear is of the dysphoria that will come if he, by some statistical anomaly, does manage to get pregnant. If he decides to keep it, that will be _nine whole months_ of dysphoria. _Nine whole months_ of his body reminding him that he was born wrong. She knows he's strong, but the thought scares her all the same.

The third wave is one that bothers her on multiple levels.

Aria remembers. She remembers that fear. The feeling of dread and terror when she thought she might be pregnant. She remembers having to play the waiting game, because as a teenager, she was too ashamed to see the doctor. She remembers all of it, and she doesn't want Rin to go through what she did back then. Now, with her IUD, she has virtually no chance of getting pregnant. She has even less chance than Rin does. Even so, judging by his misplaced certainty, his blind faith in T keeping him from _getting_ pregnant—no matter how many times she warns him that it's not enough on its own—she feels like he won't have those sleepless nights.

The fourth wave of emotion she feels is an overwhelming sense of shame, at how jealous that makes her feel. She doesn't _want_ Rin to have those sleepless nights, of course she doesn't. She _does_, however, wish that she could get back all the time she spent worrying that she was carrying Rocky's child, both times it happened. All the nights she spent afraid, wondering what she would do. She wishes she could've faced it back then with the same flippancy than he's facing it right now, and it makes her jealous. That jealousy, that regret, is embarrassing as hell to her.

Though she's decently sure she's managed to keep the roller coaster ride of emotions from her face at dinner, it comes back and hits her full force when she realizes she has to walk to the pharmacy and buy Rin a morning-after pill.

Yakumo offered to come with her, and she knows it's a sweet gesture. It means a lot to her and is yet another sign of how different he is from the men she's been with before. She turned him down, though. Maybe it's a sign that she hasn't come as far as she thinks she has. Maybe it's a sign that she's still trying to shoulder burdens alone. Whatever it is, she'd rather deal with the shame and judgment alone than put Rin, Yakumo or Louis through it with her.

Monday night is a warm one, and Aria basks in the fact that she doesn't have to wear a coat outside after sunset. At home, it would be freezing cold. She'd be inside, sitting on the couch, wrapped in a sleeping Yakumo's arms and a blanket, having just made dinner for everyone as they tried to figure out what to do for the rest of the night. A warm place like this, though? Aria wonders if Rin and the others would be open to moving out here someday.

She laughs to herself. One day here is hardly enough to base a decision like that on.

As she crosses her arms at her chest and continues her walk down the sidewalk to the nearest pharmacy, a gentle hand on her shoulder surprises her. She turns, half-expecting to see Yakumo, determined to be there for her, but she's surprised when she sees someone else, instead.

"Hey," Louis greets her. "Want some company?"

Aria blinks, surprised. "Louis! I thought I told you guys…" She pauses and chuckles. "I should've known one of you would come after me.

Louis nods. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. You seemed… pretty upset about something," he explains.

With a humorless chuckle, Aria shakes her head. "I promise, Louis, I'm not mad at you. Or Rin. Or anyone. I just… have some sort of complicated history when it comes to…" She waves her hand in the air dismissively, "this whole situation."

"I imagine so," Louis murmurs. "Would… you like to talk about it…?"

Aria puffs puffs out a breath. She looks around to make sure no one else is looking before explaining:. "I had two scares. Before I turned eighteen. That's pretty much… the long and the short of it." She frowns. "I think Rin is under the impression that T is enough on its own to keep him out of this situation but… it isn't. You know? It reduces the chances, but doesn't like… take them away completely."

Nodding sympathetically, Louis murmurs, "You didn’t want him to go through what you went through."

"Yeah. We talked about it before, awhile back. When you two first got together." Aria glances at Louis. "But after like… that initial conversation, we never talked about it again. That's my fault more than anyone else's, I think. I should've brought it up."

She pauses and turns a serious look in Louis' direction. "It'd be worse for him, too. You realize that, right?"

Shame washes over Louis' face. "Yes, I realize."

"I'm sorry." Aria rubs a hand over her face. "I know I'm sending mixed signals, but I swear I'm not mad at you. I'm just… worried," she explains.

Louis' frown draws deeper. "No, I should be the one apologizing. I came prepared, I just… Rin is very distracting," he muses.

Aria laughs, with a little more humor this time. "I'm sure he is." She nudges him in the side lightly. "It'll be okay. We'll… we'll get it all fixed, and I think I'm going to talk to him about getting the birth control I'm on… well, an altered version of it, anyway. 99.9% success rate, and with his T, that would pretty much mean… you guys would be free to bone how and whenever you wanted."

He flushes pink.

"I think…" Aria casts Louis a sidelong glance, then hesitates briefly, before turning to look at the pavement before her. "I think the two of you need to educate yourselves together. Him on sex in general and you on sex with a trans person."

Louis nods. "I’ve been thinking the same. Rin is… surprisingly ignorant in his sexual knowledge outside of what he watches." He sighs almost wearily. "I’ve been looking into it since our first dinner, Aria."

With a frown, Aria sighs. "I guess it's my fault, then, huh?" She laughs self-deprecatingly.

Louis shakes his head. "No, it really isn’t."

"It is, partially," Aria admits as she smooths a hand through her hair. "Rin doesn't… he doesn't usually think of these things, Louis. He needs them mentioned to him. I knew that, you didn't. I could've talked to him, or told you to."

"The important thing is I know now, and we’ll be more careful from now on," Louis reassures her.

Aria heaves a sigh and nods. He's right and she knows it. "So, you really came all this way just to see if I was alright?" She laughs. "Even after I told you guys I'd do this by myself?"

Louis shrugs nonchalantly. "I wanted to make sure my dear friend and future sister was truly alright," he muses.

Orchid eyes widen as Aria stares blankly at Louis. Her lips quirk into a grin. "Future sister, huh?"

With a teasing smile, Louis asks, "What, you don’t approve?"

Aria gives him a playful look. "What would you say if I didn't?"

"Probably cry like a baby," Louis chuckles. "Then, prove my worth."

Chuckling, Aria shoves him again. "Good thing I do then, huh? You're a good man, Professor Lulu Mittleman. Good enough for my brother and then some," she teases.

"Thank you, Aria," Louis says, his tone soft and sincere.

Aria looks up at the pharmacy sign. The familiar feeling it gives her makes her feel sick. "You wait out here, okay? I can handle it, and then we can get back to our idiots at the hotel." She smirks.

Louis shakes his head. "No, I’ll go with you. We’ll face it together."

A genuine smile spreads across Aria's face, but even so, she looks down at the pavement. "Man, you're so stubborn you give Rin a run for his money. All right, _Smooth Criminal_. Let's go save our boy, huh?"

They share a brief laugh, before they turn and walk into the pharmacy together.

~

By the time the four of them split up for the night, Aria's mind is slightly eased. Rin took the pill, which should attend to the _very_ small chance that he got pregnant. Even if it doesn't, Aria knows that Louis will be there for him. Between her and Louis, and even Yakumo, she knows that things will be okay. As she lays in the unfamiliar hotel room bed, she watches Yakumo as he relaxes. His chest rises and falls with his rhythmic breathing, his eyes are closed, and it doesn't take much to tell Aria that he's seconds from falling asleep.

With that in mind, she stands from the bed and walks over to the sliding glass door, making her way out to the balcony.

The beachfront is somehow even more beautiful at night than it is during the day. The moon reflects on the water, casting silvery glimmers onto the waves every time one comes crashing to the shore. The slight breeze pushes the pleasant scent of the ocean straight into Aria's nostrils. Everything feels… good.

With a smile on her face, she leans forward on the balcony and casts her eyes out across the world below her. Part of her wishes their room was higher up. She loves being up high, watching everything happen below her, watching the waves crash, watching the light breeze rustle the trees. It's relaxing in a way she never expected.

She looks up to the sky, spotted as it is with stars, and her smile grows wider. Years ago, she never would've expected them to be somewhere like this. Years ago, when she and Rin were hungry on the street and Aria was seconds from selling herself to find them their next meal, being on vacation in a place like this was nothing but a pipe dream to help them get to sleep on nights when their bellies were empty.

Now, here she is. And it's all thanks to—

Yakumo stirs, turning and wrapping his arms around Aria's middle. "You okay, Heartbreaker?"

Aria tenses for a moment, but as soon as she realizes what's happening, she relaxes and leans back against the warm muscle of Yakumo's chest. She leans her head back, looking up at him through a curtain of bangs, and nods.

"Never better, to be honest," she smiles lovingly at him. "Just thinking."

"What about?"

Initially, her instinct tells her to shrug it off, but she decides to let her guard down and open up. She turns in his arms and looks up to meet his eyes. "You. Me. The past. A lot of stuff, really. The difference between me then and me now."

Yakumo hums thoughtfully. "Difference, huh?" he asks.

"It's a good difference. I'm… happy now." Aria leans her head against his chest and glances out at the horizon. "I'm communicating with Rin, I have friends, I have… you. Even as close as three years ago, that wouldn't have been possible."

With a smirk, Yakumo pushes some hair behind her ear. "What, you wouldn't have given me the time of day back then?"

"No, I… I would've. I think the major difference is that when you turned me down back in the clearing, I would've taken it as a sign that you didn't want me." Aria shrugs. "You could've told me a million times that you did, but I would've just… I think I would've closed the door, because back then I was convinced that was all I was good for."

"I wouldn't have given up on you. Not even then," Yakumo says seriously.

Aria meets Yakumo's gaze, her lips quirked into a loving smile. "Okay, so maybe it would've been possible," she corrects herself with a soft laugh.

Yakumo chuckles. "I think you underestimate the hell I'd go through for you, Ari," he tells her as he brushes his thumb across her cheek.

With a genuine smile, Aria hops up onto her tiptoes to catch Yakumo's lips in a deep, passionate kiss. Her hand comes up to rest on the back of his neck and hold him in place, while her opposite hand comes to rest on his chest. When the kiss breaks, she meets his eyes again.

"I love you."

The words slip out without too much thought behind them. As soon as they do, the gravity of what she said catches up to her and suddenly she finds herself tensing in his arms. It's true. She knows it's true in her heart of hearts, but that doesn't change exactly how serious the words are. It's the one thing that can change the comfort they've found, the routine and pleasantness they've surrounded themselves with, and send it crashing to the ground.

The fact that Yakumo hasn't even said anything in reply does nothing to ease her mind. He's staring at her blankly, like he's not sure he heard her right, and in the silence, Aria's mind tries to compose an apology, to tell him that it's okay if he doesn't love her, too.

Before Aria can speak up, a big, dopey smile spreads across his face. He keeps his palm on her cheek and tilts her head back up, capturing her lips in an intense, slow, but powerful kiss. The feel of his lips on hers makes her heart stutter. Her knees feel weak, and she's endlessly glad that he's holding her up because she thinks they might buckle underneath her. His touch on her side sends a shiver down her spine. When the kiss breaks, Aria pulls in a soft breath—lets out a whimper in disapproval of the sudden distance between them—and looks up at him.

"I love you, too." Yakumo smiles with his whole face. Aria can barely see the pink dusting his cheeks in the dim light radiating out from their hotel room. "I've loved you since… since our first date, I think."

Aria thinks she should have a reply prepared for that, but all she can think of is the thrumming of her heart and the way he's looking at her and exactly how much she loves him. God, she loves him. He took everything she thought was true about herself, smashed it into little pieces, and built her into something new.

Something better.

When he looks at her, she believes she's beautiful. When he kisses her, she believes she's worthy. He loves her. He loves her, and day by day, he's helping her love herself, too.

A devilish smirk creeps across her face. "Go change into your swim trunks," she demands.

"Huh?" Yakumo blinks, dumbfounded.

Aria chuckles. "I said, go change into your swim trunks. You and I have an impromptu date," she tells him.

Yakumo laughs breathlessly. "We do, do we?"

"Mmhmm," Aria nods. "You can change in the bedroom, and I'll change in the bathroom. Grab the beach bag too, would you?" She hesitantly steps away from him and gathers her suitcase, grinning at him over her shoulder before she shuts the door.

Without question, he does as she asked. "The beach, huh?"

Aria closes the door, denying him any further explanation. She smiles to herself as she pulls her two-piece swimsuit from the suitcase. It takes very little work to put it on, and even less work to pull her slip dress on over it. She looks at herself in the mirror, pulling her mess of curls into a messy bun and then giving her reflection a smile.

Yakumo loves her. Yakumo loves her and she loves him, and when they get to the beach, she has every intention of showing him exactly how much.

When she exits the bathroom, she slides her feet into her flip flops, and turns to Yakumo, who's just finished gathering everything for the beach bag. With an impish smile, she takes his hand in hers and pulls him toward the door. They rush through the hall together, and as soon as they're in the elevator, Aria's lips are on his again. She kisses him until they both run out of air, then pulls back with a satisfying pop. She smiles as she meets his eye.

She has plans.

Sure, it would've been easy to fall to the bed together, to let him strip her naked and make love to her until she's crying his name. Aria wants something more, though. It's Yakumo's first time, and she wants it to be something special; something out of a fantasy novel. Something to reward him for his patience, for his kindness, for dealing with her over these past few months. For finding her worthy of loving.

They kiss for the whole elevator ride down. Even when people step onto the elevator with them, Aria doesn't stop. Just like at his apartment, Aria is pleasantly pinned between Yakumo's body and the wall of the elevator, and she loves every second of it.

When the elevator stops in the lobby, Aria takes his hand again and together, they rush out the back door of the hotel.

"Where are we going? The public beach is that way." Yakumo points out the front door.

Aria shrugs. "I heard a couple of people talking about this secret beach behind the hotel." She looks around, looking for the path she heard about. "There should be a trail… marked with a piece of—pink tape! Right here! C'mon, follow me?"

Yakumo laughs. "Okay, Heartbreaker, wherever you want to go," he muses.

The path is well beaten, and it makes Aria wonder exactly how many people before them had gone this exact route. In the back of her mind, she worries that they won't be alone. That someone else will have had the same idea and already be there.

She shakes the worry for now. If it ends up coming true, they'll just have to come back to the hotel.

When they step out of the small wooded area, off the path and onto the small stretch of private beach, Aria smiles. The sand is clean and white, the waves crash gently against the shore, and pulling back small portions of the smooth, soft sand with them each time. The moon shines straight down on the clearing, bathing it in a pale glow. Mercifully, most importantly… the beach is empty and untouched.

Aria wonders how exactly no one else is here, but she doesn’t have time to question it. Instead, she turns to Yakumo with a smile on her face.

"It's like a private beach, just for us!"

"Whoa," Yakumo murmurs dumbly.

"C'mon!"

She takes Yakumo's hand and pulls him toward the water, dropping the beach bag to the sand halfway there. She shucks her sundress, letting it fall to the sand, then rushes to the water. It's warm; much warmer than she would have ever expected for the ocean to be from what she's seen in movies and on TV. The waves feel heavenly as they lap at her calves, then her knees, then her thighs.

Just as she's about to whirl around, she feels Yakumo's arms wrap around her waist and tug her further out into the water with him.

Aria lets out a squealing laugh as the water reaches her waist, her chest, then her shoulders, before Yakumo stops. She turns in his arms again, gliding a little easier with the water easing her movements against his arms. She's immediately taken off guard by his bare chest. A smirk plays upon her lips, and without hesitation, her hand comes to rest on his pectoral muscle.

"Hey you," she whispers, her voice low.

Yakumo brushes his thumb along her cheek. "Hey _you_." He leans down to kiss her again.

Aria greedily accepts the kiss, then smirks against Yakumo's lips. Yes, she has plans, but that doesn't mean she wants to rush it. There's no reason they can't have some fun before… having more fun. She takes a step back, smirking at the protest Yakumo gives to the sudden end of the kiss, then reels back and splashes him as hard as she can in the face. The wave of water her arm makes arcs up and Yakumo shields his eyes from it, unwittingly playing right into Aria's plans.

While his face is shielded, Aria dives beneath the water and swims around behind Yakumo. She jumps up from the bottom of the sandy sea, draping her arms around his shoulders and jumping up onto his back.

"Monkey on your back!" she shouts, giggling into the night.

Yakumo laughs warmly. "_Sea_ monkey on my back, more like."

Aria blinks. "Huh?"

Before she can even try to figure out what he means, Yakumo tilts over and sends them both crashing into the ocean. Aria breaches the surface seconds before Yakumo, giggling shamelessly. They continue on like this for at least twenty minutes, splashing each other and playing, flirting shamelessly in the waves. After Aria once again causes them both to tumble into the water, she breaches the surface seconds after him, and swims up to him.

With her arms draped loosely around his neck, she gives him a soft, knowing grin. "Hey."

Yakumo smiles back at her. "What's up?"

"C'mere."

She takes his hand again, and leads him to the shore. The cool night air touching her exposed skin makes her feel cold, but that won't last too much longer. Aria hands Yakumo a towel, then takes her own, and drapes it lazily over her shoulders as she sets out the same large blanket they'd used on their picnic in the clearing. When it's laid out, it's about the size of a full-sized bed, which leaves plenty of room for them to lay on it together.

Aria pats the blanket, then sits down. "Sit with me?"

With a grin on his face, Yakumo nods. "You got it, Heartbreaker."

Yakumo sits on the blanket, but Aria doesn't immediately join him. She stands off to the side, smiling at him. He looks incredible like this, soaking wet with his hair a mess. His bangs stick to his cheeks and the water glistens lightly on his chest and arms. She smirks. Times like this, she really doesn't know what she did to deserve someone like him.

Finally, she crawls onto the blanket next to him, but doesn't sit down immediately.

"Yakumo?" she calls.

Yakumo turns to look at her. "Yeah?"

A lopsided smirk crosses Aria's face. While his eyes are on her, she lifts her hands to the bottom of her bikini top. While he watches with wide eyes, she pulls it up and over her head. The cool night air against her breasts makes her shudder, so she quickly busies herself with closing the distance between them.

For what feels like the millionth time, she straddles his hips. He looks up at her, eyes wide and curious, as Aria lifts his hands and places one on each of her breasts.

She feels him twitch into arousal beneath her, and smiles wickedly as she leans in to capture his lips. This time, the kiss is far less chaste. She grinds her hips downward, brushing her warmth against his arousal, and listening to the soft humming moan he lets out against her lips. His lips taste salty like the sea, but mixed in with that pleasant salty taste is Yakumo's familiar flavor. It makes her heart stutter all over again. When the kiss breaks, she moves her hands down to kiss his jaw, his neck, the skin just beneath his ear… then she pauses.

As she grinds her hips downward again, feeling his length sparking further into interest under her ministrations, she leans in to whisper, ensuring her lips brush his ear.

"Make love to me," she whispers.

Yakumo cants his hips upwards in an involuntary gesture, brushing his arousal against her. He breathes in shakily, but pulls back and meets her eyes with a desperate attempt at a level gaze. "Are you sure?" he whispers.

Aria nods. "I want you. Please, Yakumo. Make love to me," she begs.

It seems like the dam that holds back Yakumo's self-control finally breaks at the sound of her plea. He kisses her, while gently rolling them over on the blanket and laying her down gently. One of his hands finds its way to either side of her head, and he leans in for another desperate, passionate kiss. Aria hums against his lips, placing her hand on his cheek to hold him in place for a few seconds longer, but is surprised when he pulls back and stretches out to gather the beach bag.

The loss of warmth over her makes Aria shudder. "What're you—"

"I brought…" Yakumo chuckles, embarrassed. "I brought protection, and—"

Aria pulls him back. "We're fine." She smiles. With her birth control, her chances are all but nonexistent. "I have… there's literally a .01 percent chance I… we're fine. I promise."

Yakumo blinks, surprised. "Are you… are you sure?"

"I want to feel you. Please?" she smiles.

The speed with which Yakumo finds his way back to her side probably shouldn't surprise her, but it does. In what feels like less than a second, he's back over her again. He doesn't kiss her this time, though. Instead, he slowly, eagerly, works his way down to the bottom half of her swimsuit. His fingers leave trails of heat in their wake as they trail down her hips and brush over the elastic band at the top of her bikini bottoms.

She squirms beneath his touch, and when he finally pushes his fingers beneath the elastic, she readily lifts her hips and lets him pull the bottoms down, casting them off to the side next to her top.

When nothing happens right away, Aria suddenly feels self-conscious. She's lying beneath him, bare naked in the moonlight, and he hasn't spoken a word.

Nervously, she opens her eyes and peers up at him. She's surprised to see him looking her over, his eyes almost seeming to memorize every inch of her body as he roams over it. His lips curl into a grin as he leans down to kiss her softly, slowly.

"You're so beautiful," Yakumo whispers when the kiss breaks.

Aria can feel her cheeks heating up. She knows it isn't the first time he's told her how beautiful he thinks she is. Still, with the whole of her body exposed to him, something about hearing those words slipping from his lips like they were effortless… it drives her crazier than anything else.

He kisses her again, but the kiss is brief. His lips move down to her neck, where he peppers several other gentle, soft kisses. Then he kisses her collarbone, her breasts, her ribs, her stomach, her hips… when he presses a kiss to her left thigh, awareness sinks in and she realizes exactly what he's planning on doing. She props herself up on her elbows to watch him as he gently nuzzles the inside of her right thigh, urging her to part her legs.

Yakumo looks up at her, yellow-green eyes dancing with eagerness. "Can I?" he asks.

Aria nods, incapable of forming any further answer.

The second his head dips down between her legs, and his tongue finds its way to her skin, her elbows give out beneath her and she arches her back from the blanket. Aria has experienced many things, but this… this is a first. Yakumo is attentive. Whenever she gasps or sighs, he repeats exactly what he did to make it happen, and in almost no time, she's coming undone, grabbing fistfuls of blanket and trying to keep her voice low so she doesn't alert anyone at the hotel.

By the time she blinks back into awareness, Yakumo is at her side again, pressing gentle kisses to her jaw.

Yakumo smirks as he meets her eye. "How'd I do?"

Aria reaches around and puts her hand on the back of his neck, pulling him in for a hungry kiss. "Fucking amazing. C'mere, though… we're not done yet," she tells him.

With a deep, bassy laugh, Yakumo murmurs, "You're gonna be the death of me."

After easing his trunks off and setting them with Aria's swimsuit and sundress, he finds his way back between her legs. His hands find their way back to either side of her head again, and he leans down to kiss her.

While they kiss, as he presses his hips into hers, she feels his tip pressing against her, and suddenly, her need is almost overwhelming. She adjusts her hips, wiggling just slightly so that his tip is pressed against her entrance again, and then rocks her hips again, pulling him in just a bit more. If the shuddering sound he makes is any indication, he definitely approves. Aria looks up at him, smiles, and glides her hand down his cheek.

"It's okay. I know you won't hurt me," Aria reassures him. "I trust you."

Yakumo murmurs an expletive under his breath, then crashes his lips into hers. Somehow, even with all the anticipation he must be feeling, he still manages to take it slow, easing his way in inch by inch, until he's pressed flush against her.

Aria smiles. He's still restraining himself. He's so afraid to hurt her that he's managing restraint even when he's fully buried inside her.

If she hadn't loved him before, that would have done it.

However, that doesn't really help their situation. Aria smiles, nodding gently, then wraps her legs around his waist. "It's okay, Yakumo. I promise. Please," she begs.

That's what it takes. The gentle, silent plea, combined with the new angle provided by Aria's legs wrapping around him, breaks that final bit of self-control, and Yakumo finally lets go. His movements are slow and tender, but no less intense as he rocks his hips into her. She raises hers to meet his thrusts, and her hands eagerly touch every bit of his skin that she can reach. She memorizes his noises, listens as he tries to even his breathing, as he whispers her name, as he breathes and sighs and moans… at least until she loses _herself_ and finds that all she can focus on is raising her hips to match his motions.

It doesn't take long. Aria gets there first, toppling over the edge for the second time, and that's what seems to finally bring Yakumo there himself. She thinks she hears her name tumbling from his lips as he falls over the edge, but she silences any further noises with a desperate, hungry kiss.

He collapses next to her, immediately pulling her close and letting her rest her head on his shoulder.

"Wow… w-wow…" Yakumo laughs sheepishly.

Aria nods. "Yeah, that was definitely a wow." She smooths her fingers through his hair and pulls the blanket up around them, suddenly acutely aware of the chill of the ocean air. "You're amazing, Dream Maker. I love you so much."

Yakumo kisses the top of her head. "I love you too, Heartbreaker."

"Hey. As soon as we get our legs back," she pauses and chuckles warmly. "What do you say we take a quick skinny dip to rinse off… then head back to the hotel?"

With an impish grin on his face, Yakumo murmurs, "I say… that sounds like the most genius idea I've ever heard."

When he tilts her head back to kiss her, softly, slowly, tenderly, Aria honestly feels so happy that she thinks she could float away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it. Yaria have finally said the L word and done the deed. XD
> 
> We're so close to the end, you guys. I can't even believe it.


	40. Birthday Shenans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Heaven,' Rin thinks, 'is probably something like this.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost to the end!! \o/

_ Heaven,  _ Rin thinks,  _ is probably something like this _ .

In all of Rin’s life, he can’t remember ever feeling this comfortable before. This safe. The time he’s spent with Aria, before they were passed down from foster to foster, was rarely sprinkled with moments where Rin could simply  _ think _ . This moment is something he’s never quite experienced before. To lay in bed, comfortably bare and warm, staring into the sleeping face of a man Rin knows would walk through hell and back for him—it's a surreal experience.

He watches Louis sleep, long lashes kissing his cheeks, his long fringe of hair brushed behind his ear. Rarely does Rin ever see Louis’ whole face, and whenever he does, he reminded of just how beautiful this man is. Inside and out. Watching him fills Rin with a sense of tranquility. He feels whole. Pure. When he thinks of Louis; thinks of everything Louis has ever done for him—thinks of what Aria and Yakumo have done for him—emotion clogs his throat; makes his eyes sting. His chest heavy. But, more importantly, it makes him feel warm. Loved.

Rin slowly reaches for Louis and delicately caresses the side of his face. Louis’ eyelashes flutter, but he doesn’t stir. His chest continues to rise and fall slowly. Rin hopes his dreams are warm.

He slips out of bed and quietly creeps toward the bathroom. The bright rays of the sun peek through the curtains, and Rin knows without having to open them that dawn is approaching, or has already come. He imagines the sun peering up from over the horizon, almost wishes he could see it. Their room is perfectly positioned for the setting sun, and their first night in the hotel was a gorgeous one. But  _ dawn  _ was Rin’s favorite time of day. It's the light at the end of darkness, after all.

The signal of a new day.

He shuts the door behind him and leaves it unlocked. A flash memory strikes him; a familiar voice sounds in his head, muses over things he tries not to think of constantly, but Rin pushes those thoughts aside. He shoves those memories away.

He stands in front of the sink, twists the immaculately clean handle around and around. Cold water first. Then hot. He shoves a hand beneath the spray. It feels like ice.

Rin thinks of Louis again; his face, his touch, the sound of his voice, his soft moans in Rin’s ears. His laughter. His smile. His love. He thinks of Aria and her warmth, her admiration for him, her undying, unconditional love for Rin. Her pain and her despair. He thinks of Yakumo and his strength, his unending loyalty. His humor and his goodness. He thinks of Coco, of Officer Davis, of Murasame and Jack and Eva. He thinks of all the faces he’s seen, of all the people he’s ever met, and he wonders…

Wonders how do they manage in a world so cold yet so warm?

Shame washes over him then.

Rin shuts off the faucet, forgetting why he’d turned it on in the first place, and dares to take a glance in the mirror. It’s not Alexa who stares back at him. It’s  _ Rin _ —it's  _ him _ —and Rin isn’t sure why he ever expected anyone else.

He sighs and leans his weight against the counter. He’s starting to feel uncomfortable in his nudity; starting to feel weighed down by the  _ things  _ on his chest and the more he tries to avoid thinking about it, the heavier they become.

He laughs sardonically to himself. He should've figured heaven was a lie.

He tries not to cry, but the swell of emotion he feels is almost overwhelming. Crying has never changed anything in his life except for making him feel like a child, so instead, Rin slams his fist against the counter. Pain vibrates the length of his arm. He grimaces. He used the wrong hand, dammit.

Louis’ voice comes muffled through the door as he knocks. “Rin? Are you okay?” 

“No,” Rin confesses. It surprises him how easily the truth rolls off his tongue. He’s used to spinning lies on the fly, but this? This is a first.

“Can I come in?”

“No,” he says again, but pauses. Rin grimaces at the quickness of his response and sighs. “Hang on, Louis.” He grabs a cotton robe that hangs from behind the door and wraps it around himself. Rin feels considerably less bare with it on. Less  _ exposed _ . He opens the door.

Louis stands in front of him, bare-chested and his hair still a mess from last night’s fun. It’s almost enough to make Rin laugh, but there’s a wave of jealousy at the sight of Louis’ chest that keeps the bubble of laughter locked down tight. Still, Rin manages a half-smile and brings his hands into Louis’ hair. He messes it further just to see his boyfriend’s worried smile.

Louis grabs Rin's hands and pulls them against his lips for a kiss. “I heard a bang in the bathroom.” He says and stares into Rin’s eyes searchingly. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Too much again.” Rin sighs. He carefully pulls his hands away from Louis’ grip and wraps his arms around Louis. “I think we overdid it. Too much of the good stuff, probably. It’s like my brain realized I was too happy so it needed to pull me down back to Earth.”

Louis starts to rub soothing circles into Rin’s back, it’s an action Rin is growing increasingly familiar with and immensely fond of. “I’m sorry. Maybe the sex is starting to trigger you? Should we have waited longer—?”

Rin shakes his head gently. “No, it’s going to happen regardless, Louis. It’s just… the price to pay for being me… and for being  _ with  _ me. I’m sorry.”

Louis holds him closely, tightly. “What’s it like?”

Rin hums thoughtfully to himself, mulling Louis’ question over in his mind. He’s never been asked that question before, well, not in years anyway. Aria was the first and last person to ask what it was like to have dysphoria, and what he told her then still holds true now. He tries to think back to that moment and recall his words.

“It depends,” Rin starts. “Sometimes I have days where I can’t stand to look at myself in the mirror. Sometimes, I feel like my skin isn’t my own and I want to tear into myself, to find the real me. Other days… it doesn’t feel bad. I can stare at myself, touch them, let them be free. Before I started transitioning, I wondered if maybe it was all in my head, so I would try to wear dresses. Do my hair. Do make up, something.  _ Anything _ . I learned that it didn’t really matter what I wore or how I presented myself, what bothered me was the person I saw in the mirror. She wasn’t me and I wasn’t her.” He chuckles darkly. “Sorry, that probably doesn’t make much sense but its the best way to explain it.”

“Aria told me once that you didn’t want to get bottom surgery.” Louis’ voice is quiet like he’s scared that he’s overstepping a boundary. Rin holds him tightly, silently hoping its enough to let him know that there’s no boundary Louis should be afraid of crossing. Not with Rin, at least. “May I ask why?”

“This is probably going to sound counterintuitive, and I’ve gotten slack from others before for it, but… I felt if I did, I wouldn’t be  _ me  _ anymore.” Rin sighs heavily. “Some men can’t stand not being complete and some men never transition beyond T, but for me? I felt I was closest to being  _ myself  _ this way. I could do without the boobs, though.” He laughs breathily. He looks up at Louis. “Aria gave me three-quarters of the money I need for my top surgery a few weeks ago. Did I mention that?”

Louis stares down at him with wide-eyes. “No, you didn’t. I’m a little upset you didn’t, actually.” He laughs. His tone is light, teasing, and it makes Rin smile genuinely.

“Sorry. It wasn’t something I wanted you to worry about. I’m just as surprised as you are, though. You realize she could’ve bought her dream guitar ages ago with that money?”

“But she didn’t because she loves you so much, Rin.”

“I know. That’s why I bought it for her.” Rin grins toothily. “Come January, I’m going to start looking into it. Try to find doctors that take my insurance and whatever else I’ll need. But I...probably won’t get it done for a while.”

Louis frowns. “Why wait?”

Rin stares up into his eyes searchingly. “I just want to make sure… it’s alright.” He confesses.

“Rin, if it's something that’ll make you happy, of  _ course  _ it’s alright.” Louis kisses Rin’s forehead. “Don’t make yourself suffer on anyone else's account. I support you 100%.”

Rin smiles into Louis’ chest, feeling warm and at peace again. It’s not enough to chase the dysphoria away or to calm the lingering shadow he feels in the far reaches of his mind, but Louis’ words mean more to him than anything else his mind can supply. He peers into his boyfriend’s face again and captures his lips into his own.

“Man, Lulu, you’re so sappy in the morning.” He laughs fondly. “I love you so damn much.”

Louis steals Rin’s laughter with a kiss of his own.

* * *

Rin’s right-hand throbs painfully. It’s an aching reminder of his own impatience from earlier, and despite icing it before meeting up with Aria and Yakumo, the muscles in his fingers and his wrist hurt every time he bends them. He sighs, fighting off the remaining inklings of frustration. Now isn’t the time to get mad at himself all over again. They’re going to the carnival for goodness' sake. He wants to enjoy himself today!

Nighttime on the boardwalk is when the world comes alive, Rin decides. Yesterday, they didn’t get the chance to do much outside of exploring the hotel and ordering room service. Tonight, Rin wants to do as much as he can, and finding out about the carnival that was only a short trip away from the hotel was  _ exactly  _ what he had in mind.

He’s on the verge of bursting with excitement the moment they step onto the boardwalk. They’re nowhere near the stands yet and already Rin can smell the plethora of sugary snacks and delicious food waiting for him further down. There are stalls with games, a few rides he can see in the distance and tons of tourists drifting in and out of the shops that line the boardwalk. There isn’t anything like this back in Vein. The more they explore this town, the more Rin wishes they could just move out here.

“I’m going to eat a  _ fuckton  _ of cotton candy, you guys. I’m so excited!” Rin grins, already gravitating toward the first food stall he can see.

Louis laughs, but says, “Please don’t. I would much rather not have you spoil your stomach before dinner.”

“Lulu, I love you, but you can’t come in between me and the cotton candy.”

“Louis, I think you're tragically underestimating Rin's appetite. The  _ only _ reason he like… doesn't gorge himself every meal is because I manage portions.” Aria laughs fondly, but Rin doesn’t miss the way her eyes fall on his injured hand. He hasn’t told her what happened yet. The moment they grouped for breakfast, Rin’s entire attention was focused on getting them to the carnival today.

“All I'm saying is if I don't get to a funnel cake stand soon, this whole carnival is wasted time,” Yakumo says, looking around the vicinity in almost the same desperation Rin has for the cotton candy stand.

Rin whirls on Yakumo, gasping theatrically. “Take that back you  _ fiend!  _ This carnival is  _ not  _ a waste of time! I mean look at this place!” He gestures wildly to the stalls, the lights and the crowds of people. “ _ Igor’s Velvet Circus  _ is a  _ dream,  _ man!”

“ _ Exactly _ , which is why I need to get to a funnel cake stand.” Yakumo’s yellow-green eyes zero in on a stand not too far from where they are. “Over there! Both, right next to each other.”

“You ever pained to realize you're one of the two most mature people here, Lulu?” Aria smirks, shouldering Louis teasingly.

Louis sighs, but the smile on his face belies his true feelings. “Almost constantly, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He says.

Rin reaches for Aria with his left hand, suddenly overcome with excitement. “ARI THEY HAVE A PRETZEL STAND!” He squeals. He rushes from the group toward the stand of freshly baked pretzels. They can distinctly hear the sound of Rin’s excited screaming.

In Rin's excitement, he misses the way Aria cringes and covers her ears. “It's resonating in my fillings!” She cries.

“Funnel cake or pretzel, funnel cake or pretzel…” Yakumo murmurs, weighing both options in his hands.

Louis chuckles. “Why not both?”

Rin returns to the group, carrying a large, freshly baked pretzel in his left hand. “I’m in heaven!!” he beams then tears a piece with his teeth and moans almost obscenely.

“And he's forgotten his pursuit of cotton candy.” Aria laughs softly as she watches Yakumo make his way back with two pretzels.

“Here, Ari, I saved you the trip,” Yakumo says, offering a pretzel to her.

She laughs fondly. “Thanks. Maybe once Louis picks what he's gonna snack on we should go find somewhere to sit so Rin doesn't choke on his food.” She smirks at her brother.

Rin glances at her curiously, both of his cheeks are full of pretzel. He feels like he’s going to choke, but he’s too stubborn to admit defeat.

“I’ll go for the funnel cake,” Louis decides with a chuckle.

With a full mouth, Yakumo says, “Oh, I'll come with you, I want one too.” He nods sagely, as he follows behind Louis.

“Get me a funnel cake!” Rin yells through a full mouth of his own.

Aria laughs fondly at their antics before turning her attention back to Rin. “Hey Sunshine, why don't we go save a seat?” she asks.

They find an empty bench not too far from where the funnel cake stand is and sit. Rin tears off another piece of pretzel with his teeth, enjoying the flavor as he watches groups of people walk past them, all smiles and laughs with prizes, drinks, and cotton candy in hand. The energy of the carnival is uplifting. It fills him with a sense of childlike joy he hasn’t felt in ages and the longer he sits, the more he wants to jump up and scream.

Aria watches him, amused. “Are you having fun?”

“This is the  _ most  _ fun I’ve had in ages. I want to do everything!” Rin laughs. 

“Even the roller coaster?” she smirks, eyes twinkling.

Rin shakes his head sharply. “No. Not the roller coaster. I will do  _ almost  _ everything.” He breaks off a piece of pretzel with his right hand, grimaces then tears the rest with his teeth. “Should’ve… gotten… a drink.” he mutters as an afterthought.

Aria reaches into her purse and pulls a bottle of water out. “I'm sure the guys will bring us one, but here. For until they get back.” She offers the water bottle to Rin, and after he takes it with a thank you, she glances at his hand again. “What happened to your hand?”

“I can always count on you to be prepared,” Rin smiles. “As for the hand, I injured it this morning by accident. Louis already iced it for me but it’ll probably bruise for a bit.” He explains.

Aria takes some antiinflammatory painkillers from her purse. “I've been around you long enough to know I have to prepare for anything.” She teases him. She opens the top, shakes two pills into her hand, and offers to Rin. “An accident, huh?”

“Thanks, mom,” Rin winks. He downs the medicine with water and then takes the last bite of his pretzel.. “Mmmm so good!”

“How about you don't ignore my question, hm?” She gives him an affectionate smirk.

Rin laughs around a mouthful of pretzel. “How about you try not to worry so much?” He nudges her gently, playfully. 

Aria barks out a loud laugh. “That won’t happen. Ever.” She grins but glances at his hand again. “I want to push. I really want to push… but… if you don't want to tell me, I guess it's okay.”

“It’s really no big deal. I got mad and did an oopsie. Granted, my only regret was that I used the wrong hand.” Rin sighs. 

“Bad morning?” It's obvious that she's trying to keep it simple. She’s trying not to pry and for that, Rin can’t help but smile fondly.

“Yeah, a bad one.” He snods. “Spoke with Louis about it.” He flexes his hand and grimaces from the pain. “It helped a little.”

Aria smile is sad, but still genuine. “Good. I'm glad you opened up to him.” She starts digging through her purse. “You know, I might still have that compression brace from the last time you overworked your hand. Lemme dig a little.”

“Oh my god, Aria,  _ no _ .” Rin gapes, feeling mortified. “I’m not wearing that in the carnival!”

Just then, Louis and Yakumo return with food and drinks in hand. 

“Not wearing what?” Louis asks, handing Rin the extra funnel cake.

Rin takes the funnel cake from Louis’ hand but quickly cowers behind the two boys and gives Aria a playful glare. “She’s momming me again! Make her stop!”

Aria pulls out the compression bandage from her purse and holds it up for the world to see. “Found it!” She beams proudly. “Lulu, make him wear this, please.”

Yakumo offers Rin a can of Pepsi and eyes the compression brace curiously. “Why is Aria holding a compression brace?” He asks. He brings her a Dr. Pepper and a funnel cake for them to share. “Why do you even  _ have _ a compression brace?”

“It's hard being a mom of a twenty-two-year-old toddler sometimes.” Aria sighs then pauses, frowning. “Twenty- _ three _ . Sorry, Sunshine. I forgot what day it was for a sec.”

Rin, having successfully forgotten his mortification with the compression brace, turns to the three of them curiously, his face already stuffed with funnel cake. “Huh?” He mumbles around a mouthful.

It's then he realizes that while  _ he  _ may have forgotten about the brace in the past twenty seconds, Louis did  _ not _ . He’s already in the process of slipping the brace into Rin’s right hand before strapping it securely. 

“She called you a twenty-three-year-old toddler,” Louis explains, smirking fondly. “A rather accurate description if you ask me.”

Rin shoots him a playful glare, though it's apparent he’s still confused.

Yakumo laughs as he tears a piece of funnel cake. “An oblivious one, apparently.” He adds. 

“Absolutely nothing new here,” Aria muses with a smirk. 

“I’ll have you  _ both  _ know that I am  _ not  _ oblivious! Right, Louis?” Rin turns to Louis, who hands him an open Pepsi can. Rin’s eyebrows disappear into his bangs. “Where did you get that?” When he reaches for the drink, he realizes— _ again _ —that the brace is on his hand. “Oh, come on! When did you even put it on?!”

“He's a wizzerd, Rinny.” Aria quips, gesturing to Louis. 

Louis kisses Rin’s sugar-coated lips and wipes the remaining sugar from Rin’s bottom lip with his thumb. “You’re welcome.” He licks the sugar from his thumb and starts eating his funnel cake. 

Rin huffs. “Honestly, sometimes I feel like I'm being ganged up on by three parents instead of one.”

“It  _ is _ nice to have a little extra help.” Aria reaches into her purse and pulls out an envelope, handing it to Rin, now that his hands are mostly free. “By the way, now that we're stopped… here. I couldn't wait 'til we got back to the hotel.”

“I know you said you probably wouldn't be able to wait, but really?” Yakumo chuckles.

“ _ Listen _ . I've been waiting for  _ years _ to do this, okay?” She shoves Yakumo lovingly.

Rin sets his drink aside as he opens up the envelope. “What is this? Drug money?” he jokes and pulls out the card inside. It reads:

_ To my womb mate, my partner in crime, my best friend, my light in the darkness: Sunshine, _ _   
_ _   
_ _ I know it's been a crazy year so far. We've had highs and lows, higher highs and lower lows. You struggled for a little while, but you came out of it way more amazing than you ever expected you could, I bet. _

_ I'm so, so proud of you. You don't even know. You've gone from being this otherworldly ball of energy, someone who strove to bring smiles to everyone around him, to being a true, powerful force to be reckoned with, and I can't even express how proud I am to be your sister. You're amazing, and you should have the confidence to match it. _

_ This isn't much, but it's enough to put you over the top to right what nature fucked up.  _

_ I love you, to infinity and beyond. _

_ Aria (and Yakumo, who really only wanted to be a signature at the bottom of the note but he totally pitched in half the haze. XP) _

Rin blinks, and blinks, and blinks again, but the tears blurring his vision are persistent. He can’t seem to formulate the proper words, and he knows, when he carefully flips through the wad of cash, that she’s right. It  _ is  _ enough. It’s more than enough. It’s too much, he thinks. It's always too much. 

Aria always does so much for him. He carefully slips the card and the money back into the envelope and crashes into Aria for a hug. He doesn’t bawl his eyes out or make a sound, but his tears stream down his cheeks all the same.

“Happy birthday, Sunshine.” She kisses the side of his head lovingly.

Yakumo gently pats Rin on the back and adds, “You deserve it.”

Rin sniffs. He pulls away from Aria, wiping the snot and tears from his face. 

“Th-thank you,” Rin manages through the tears. “You… you guys are too much.” He laughs wetly. Louis’ arm wraps around his waist and Rin leans against him, feeling emotional all over again.

Aria gives Louis and Rin a smile as she approaches to hug them both. “We're only too much because you're so extra, so… extra gets extra. Right?” She laughs warmly.

Yakumo takes advantage of the moment and hugs all three of them. “Says the one who's just as extra as he is.” He grins.

Rin laughs, and as the group breaks the hug, he glances to Louis. “Did you know about this?” He asks.

Louis shakes his head. “I didn’t.” He glances toward Aria and Yakumo for a moment. “I would’ve liked to have known, though.”

Aria bites her lip. “Yeah, I know. Yakumo wasn't even really  _ going _ to be involved, but he insisted.” She chuckles quietly, then gives Louis a pointed look. Rin recognizes it as a 'we'll talk later' look. “It was originally going to be my birthday present for Rin but, well… Yakumo was Yakumo about it.”

“Why do I suddenly feel like that’s a bad thing?” Yakumo laughs, though his tone is lighthearted.

Louis returns to laugh, but Rin can sense the tension in his body. “I imagine so.” He says. He gestures to the rest of the carnival. “Shall we continue onward? There’s still a lot for us to explore.”

“Yeah, sure.” Aria turns to Yakumo, still smiling. “Hey, you and Rin should go have a competition at the games.” She smirks, though she knows it's not remotely subtle. “I wanna talk to Louis for a sec.”

Rin glances upward at Louis, who kisses him tenderly on the forehead.

“Alright Yakumo,” Rin says, peeling himself away from Louis’ side and gestures to the game stalls up ahead. “I can either whoop your ass in the bottle game or the water gun game. Choose your pick?” He grins wickedly, already walking ahead.

“Bold of you to assume you're gonna whoop my ass in  _ anything _ ,  _ Sunshine _ ,” Yakumo says the name teasingly, but the smile on his face is playful as he follows behind Rin.

Rin’s haughty laughter can be heard over the crowd.

* * *

With Rin and Yakumo out of earshot, not that it would’ve been a problem if they stayed, Louis turns his attention back to Aria. He keeps his expression carefully blank. He’s not…  _ angry _ per se, but he  _ is  _ upset, more upset than he expected to be. There’s also a sense of confliction; he doesn’t think he has the  _ right  _ to be upset. He understands where Aria is coming from but… he sighs and holds out his arm toward her.

“Care for a walk?” Louis offers fondly.

Aria’s smile is wistful as she takes his arm and gestures in the opposite direction. “Nice that you can still have manners even when you're mad at me.” She chuckles.

“I’m not mad at you, just… feeling left out. I would have liked to help, especially if it's for Rin’s top surgery.”

Aria’s sigh is heavy, but she nods in understanding. “I know. I know it's selfish of me, but I actually  _ wanted _ to do it all myself. I've been saving for this since I was sixteen, Louis. Six _ teen _ . That's seven years now, of working and putting money away and holding it for Rin until I had enough for his surgery.”

She turns to look at him, her expression calm. 

“I've had to drain it a couple of times. Once when we were homeless, so we could eat, and once when he got appendicitis, the year after we moved in with Coco. Each time, I built it back up. I wanted to do it myself, but Yakumo…” She glances over her shoulder in the direction Rin and Yakumo walked off in. “He insisted when he saw me writing the card. Thought I deserved to be rewarded, or something.”

“I know, Aria. I understand how much it means to you.” Louis smiles warmly.

“Please don't feel left out,” she urges, though she returns his smile. “Because you have a job that's arguably  _ more _ important now.”

Louis raises an eyebrow. “I do?”

She chuckles, settling her eyes on the ground in front of them. Her expression is wistful. “Yeah.” She looks back to Louis. “This is going to sound like I'm trying to like…  _ give _ him to you, but I'm not because that's stupid. It's sort of… it's my way of making one last grand gesture to fix what nature fucked up. I recognize that I might not be the best person to give him what he needs anymore. That's you.” She pokes him in the shoulder. “He needs you. You make him feel good, which is a long-time commitment.” 

Aria pauses, getting choked up and laughing a soft, bittersweet note. “If you ask me, a couple of thousand haze is nothing compared to that.”

Louis pulls her into a hug, holding her tightly. After a few minutes, he pulls away with a soft laugh.

“I hope you realize, that did indeed sound like you were giving your brother away.” He teases her.

She wipes her eyes with the heel of her palm. “Yeah, well… you'll soon come to realize that taking care of Rin is a full-time job.” She laughs. “It's a worthwhile one, though.”

“I know it is. It’s why I want to spend the rest of my life with him.” Louis pauses for a moment, mulling over her words. He smiles again, it's far more relaxed than his previous ones. “Thank you, Aria. For always being you.”

Aria blinks, surprised. “I mean, I don't know what else I could possibly be, to be honest.” She nudges him with her shoulder as she turns them around and starts guiding them back toward Rin and Yakumo. “Besides, when you and Rin eventually get married, I'll have  _ two _ brothers, instead of just one. You ask me, that's a pretty good deal.”

“And I’ll have another sister,” Louis chuckles warmly. “At least maybe then you can teach Karen a thing or two about cooking.” He pauses, suddenly looking sheepish. “Also, I would appreciate if you never tell her I said that.”

“Ah-ha!  _ Finally _ , the long-awaited answer to my question!” She smirks. “Just so you know, and I mean this in a 'Rin won't kill me' way: I love you. You're a great friend, and you're so perfect for Rin that it's almost painful.” She chuckles.

“As, yes. My future sister-in-law has finally confessed her feelings for me. How scandalous.” Louis says, his voice entirely deadpanned. “Thank you, Ari. I really mean it.” He smirks wryly.

Aria barks out a laugh. “Oh man, if you tell Yakumo that, I wonder who he'd be madder at: me or you?”

“Me, naturally. I don’t think he can ever get mad at you.”

“You know, I don't think I could possibly get mad at him, either.” She smirks. “If I was going to, it would've been when he and Rin were hiding that whole…” She gestures behind her. “ _ Rocks for brains _ thing from me. If I don't get mad about that… I think we're good.”

“You’re a stronger woman than I am, Aria. Well, person is the proper term.” He chuckles lightly.

“Okay see, now you've got my mind spiraling over what you would look like if I dressed you like a girl. If you ever want to send Rin into a  _ true _ bi panic… you know who to call.” She smiles devilishly. 

“I would look like Karen,” Louis deadpans, pondering the image in his mind. “I’m also quite certain Rin may or may not have had a crush on Karen at some point.”

“See, to me, all this translates to 'please find the perfect dress for me and drive my boyfriend absolutely insane.'” She nudges him with her shoulder. “Am I wrong?”

Louis sighs wearily, but his cheeks are flushed pink. “Aria, please,” He begs her, though his tone is light.

“Page one, line two of the Louese Language Book: 'Aria, please,' means 'Aria is actually right but I'm way too shy to admit it."' She laughs, grinning wryly. “These are important things to learn if we're going to be best friends.”

“I have a better suggestion. How about you put  _ Yakumo  _ in a dress and allow me to take photos?” Louis smirks. 

Aria's eyes light up like sparklers. “This, Louis Mittleman, is going to be the start—or, well… the middle, I guess?—of a  _ beautiful _ friendship.”

“Is it too much to ask to pretend “Mittleman” never happened?” Louis grimaces.

“Yup.”

He sighs in resignation. “Yeah, I suspected as much.”


	41. Twin Birthday Shenans, Yakumo & Aria (IV)

Aria files through the bags from her shopping trips, looking for the last part of her birthday gift for her brother. She knows that the surgery money was supposed to be the _big_ gift, but since Yakumo had included himself in that, Aria had a little extra money.

As is typical when she has extra money… she spent it on Rin.

It takes her longer than she would like to find the gift bag among all her shopping bags. When she does, she wonders how it took so long. The bright blue bag stands out among all the plain, normal bags, with its ribbons and tissue paper sticking out from the top. Aria sighs in exasperation with herself as she gathers the large bag and pulls it from the closet. She approaches the bed where Rin sits, and climbs up to sit with him, holding the bag on her lap.

When she arrives, Yakumo is already handing Rin the small, wrapped box with the hand wraps and boxing gloves in it.

"I thought, y'know, they'd come in handy," Yakumo explains. "The stuff you've been getting on loan from the gym isn't _bad_, but these gloves are custom-fitted to your hands."

Aria grins. "Which finally explains to you why I needed the measurements for your hands." She pokes Rin in the shoulder. "And to think, you whined at me for trying to force you to buy another compression brace."

"You still could, honestly," Rin grumbles. "Wouldn’t put it past you." He turns to Yakumo, beaming gratefully. "Thanks! I can’t wait to try them out soon!"

Yakumo nods, then chuckles warmly. "You know, I _did_ hear her talking about compression braces with Louis on the way back from the carnival," he muses as he taps his chin.

Rin looks at Louis, scandalized, and Louis simply smiles innocently. "I neither confirm nor deny," he replies.

Playful caution lines Yakumo's eyes, and he turns his attention to Rin again. "We might be in danger. I think these two are gonna be a dangerous team," he chuckles.

Aria grins at Louis, then shrugs nonchalantly.

"I think… we should keep you two separated for the foreseeable future. My reputation is at stake here," Rin insists.

Shaking her head, Aria smirks. "Nope, can't do that. We decided to be best friends at the carnival. That's how it works, right? You decide to be best friends?" she asks.

Louis chuckles. "Pretty much."

"See, so you can't." Aria lifts the bag from her lap and hands it over to Rin. "You're gonna be mad at me, but I had some unexpected money after Yakumo insisted on including himself—"

Yakumo laughs. "Wow."

Aria smiles lovingly at Yakumo, then turns back to Rin. "So… I got you this. I saw you eyeing something similar at the art store back at home, but this one's better, I think. And the pencils… I had to get consultation from the people at the art store, so I hope they're good," she says with a shrug.

Excitement lines Rin's eyes as he opens the bag. One at a time, he pulls out a sketchbook and a protective casing with charcoals inside. "Oh! There you go, spoiling me again," he says with a laugh, then drapes an arm around her and kisses her forehead. "Thank you, Ari. I love this!"

Beaming, Aria leans into Rin and nods eagerly. "Listen, I have _one_ job in this world—"

Yakumo chuckles. "Technically, two, if you count the bar, but this one's more important."

Aria laughs. "Okay, _two_ jobs. I have _two_ jobs in this world, and I'm gonna be the best at both of them if I can," she says.

"You’re doing a fantastic job, Ari." Rin smiles. "I have something for you too and this time I didn’t forget to wrap it! Unlike last year."

Smiling fondly, Aria watches Rin closely. "Do you?"

"Well, I mean, the major understanding of twins is being born on the same day at relatively close times, soooooooooooooooooooo yeah!" Rin smirks around his characteristic sass. "I have your birthday present but, um, it’s a little fragile. It took me three months to finish."

"Well, given how well you remember our birthday, I wouldn't be surprised." Aria grins and pinches him in the ribs in a tickling motion.

Rin swats her hands away carefully and heads for one of the gift bags he left at the door for this very occasion. He rejoins her on the bed and carefully hands over the bag. "Uh, it's kinda heavy and super fragile so if you break it, I’ll have to disown you," he tells her, snickering playfully." Sorry, I don’t make the rules."

With a laugh of her own, Aria looks at the bag for a few seconds and then glances over at Rin with a warm smile, even before opening it. She gently pulls the bag open and pulls out the little white box from inside. She sets the bag aside, curiosity taking precedence and washing out the acute awareness that everyone in the room is watching her. She pulls the top from the box and filters gently through the lavender-colored tissue paper, until she sees it.

There, laying among the soft, lavender paper is a small, four-by-five-inch porcelain figure. It's hand-crafted; Aria can recognize Rin's distinct style in the artwork, and the craftsmanship is intricate and beautiful. The moment frozen is of the twins, sitting on a park bench together, surrounded by intricately designed, _beautiful_ lilac blossoms.

She reaches down to touch the figure, tears springing to her eyes as she slides her finger along the smooth porcelain.

It's beautiful. It's the most beautiful gift she's ever received. She turns to look at Rin, a smile spreading across her face despite the tears and then turns to look back down at the figure. She presses her lips tightly together, before gently placing it on the bedside table.

When it's safely in place, she turns toward Rin, pulling him to her in an eager, tight hug. "It's beautiful, Sunshine. It's… it's perfect."

"Glad you like it. It took a lot of hard work and hours to get the colors right." Rin laughs. "And it just reaffirms that I absolutely hate painting."

Aria murmurs against his shoulder, "And yet you're so good at it." She pulls back and meets his eyes. "Thank you so much, Sunshine. That's like… the most thoughtful present I've ever gotten. It's so perfect."

Rin smiles smugly to the others. "I win." He sticks his tongue out.

Lightheartedly rolling his eyes, Louis sighs. "I didn’t realize this was a competition for Aria’s affection."

"I feel like if it is, we lost a long time ago." Yakumo pauses, laughs, then looks at Rin pointedly. "Twenty-three years ago, to be exact."

Heat rushes to Aria's cheeks, and she smiles bashfully. "C'mon, there's room in my heart for all of you." She chuckles and picks the box back up, looking inside at the porcelain figure as she wipes her eyes with the heel of her hand. "But it only makes sense that Rin would win our birthday, since it's, y'know. _Our_ birthday."

"So, who's next? Louis?" Yakumo asks, but his tone is tense and nervous.

Aria wonders why, but before she has a chance to wonder for too long, Louis hands her a sparkling purple gift bag. "I saw this during one of my many trips to the bookstore back in November and thought you might like it," he tells her.

With a grin, Aria plays with the ribbons on the gift bag. "Well, first of all, this gift bag is totally my aesthetic." She points at him, and then turns back to the bag. "Second of all… let's see what we have inside."

Aria opens the bag slowly, peeling back some of the tissue paper and smiling when she spots a wrapped book and a small box. She takes the box out first and opens it, grinning when she spots the plethora of guitar picks. On first glance, they seem simple enough. Guitar picks are always useful, and Aria is always endlessly grateful for them. When she looks closer, a smile curves across her lips.

Queen. Pat Benetar. Heart. Journey. Huey Lewis and the News. All bands she covers at the bar, and as she files through the pile, she realizes that they're all there. Everything she covers usually.

She laughs.

"Wow, this is super cool and really clever!" Aria looks up at Louis with gratitude in her eyes. "Did you ask someone from the band for the set or something?" she asks as she gathers the wrapped book.

Louis chuckles and nods. "Yeah, I had help."

Aria tears into the paper on the second part of Louis' gift, and is immediately surprised to see a cookbook. No. It's not a cookbook. Well… it is, but it isn't. It's a completely blank notebook, but it's clearly designed for various recipes and dishes and intended for Aria to fill in.

The smile on her face only grows wider. She looks up at Louis with a huge grin. "Okay, _this_ is cool. Thank you!" She gets up and gives him a hug.

As Aria goes back to her seat, she spots Yakumo looking nervous where he leans against the wall, and concern flashes across her face. "You okay, Dream Maker?"

Yakumo nods. "Oh, yeah, I'm good!" He smiles, but fidgets nervously.

"So, what's the plan from here? We still have plenty of daylight left!" Aria looks around the room at her boys, smiling at them each individually.

Rin shrugs. "We could go check out the national park," he offers. "That’s like, the biggest tourist attraction here, right?"

Yakumo slides something into his coat pocket. "That's a good idea! We could hit up Thunder Hole. And maybe take the bus tour up to the top of the mountains? Give Rin some of that grade A Art Inspiration." He smirks.

"Sounds like a plan," Louis agrees.

As they leave, Aria can't help but note the slightly dejected look on Yakumo's face. It disappears when she slips her arm into his, and the four of them file into the hall, but she knows it's something she'll have to cycle back to later.

Part of her wonders if he feels guilty about not giving her a tangible gift, but truthfully, she wouldn't even be on this vacation if not for him. As corny as it sounds, his presence is present enough for her. She leans against him happily as they file into the elevator, ready for an afternoon touristing it up at the national park.

~

By the time Yakumo and Aria return to the room for the night, it seems like Aria has forgotten about Yakumo's anxiety in regards to his gift for her. She spent the whole of the trip to the National Park excited and eager. She and Rin snapped pictures of everything. Thunder Hole fascinated her, even as she got drenched with the sea spray as it splashed from the caverns below.

The bus ride to the top of the mountains is something Yakumo thinks he'll remember forever.

He loves nature. He loves the look of wooded areas and the way the wind feels blowing against his skin. When he and Aria stood at the mountain's peak, looking out over the city in the distance, Yakumo can confidently say that he's never felt so invigorated as he did then. With Aria on his arm, the wind in his face, and the scent of the ocean coming in from the coastline… Yakumo isn't one for platitudes, but it reminded him what's most important in the world.

After changing from their still-drying clothes, Yakumo posed the suggestion that he and Aria hit the hotel's ice rink. It's been on their agenda since they realized there _was_ one, and tonight seems as good a night as any, Yakumo decides.

It really has been too long since he's skated. Once he laces on the one pair of hockey skates the hotel has in his size, he watches as Aria ties on a pair of figure skates. He stands, skating in a quick circle as he waits for her to finish, then watches as she tries to stand up on her own, only to slip and end up sitting on the bench again.

"Hey, I told you I'd help you, remember?" Yakumo skates up to her and offers his hands down.

Aria laughs as she puts her hands in his. "I was going to make a joke about how I'm a strong, independent woman who don't need no man, but I think the way I fell on my butt right there completely disproves that, don't you?" she jokes at her own expense.

Smirking, Yakumo skates backward. He holds her hands and pulls her out to the middle of the ice. "It's okay, Ari, you're strong and independent in other ways," he teases.

With a huff, Aria stumbles around and tries desperately to keep her footing. "_Yakumo_, I'm going to fall!" She stumbles over her skates again and grabs his arms tighter.

Yakumo stops skating, letting her crash gently into him and holding her up, preventing her from falling or even stumbling. When she's close to him, he places his hands on her sides and looks down lovingly at her.

"You think I'd let you fall?" Yakumo asks.

Aria pouts. "No." She rests her chin on his chest. "Doesn't mean it's not scary to walk around like a baby giraffe with no coordination, though."

Chuckling, Yakumo presses a gentle kiss on her forehead. "You're a hot giraffe, though."

The laughter Aria gives in response sounds like the sweetest song Yakumo has ever heard. "I'm not sure what's more concerning about that statement: that you think giraffes are hot or that you agree that I have the coordination of one," she jokes.

"I mean, on land, you're elegant. Smooth. On the ice, you just need to get your legs underneath you and I bet you could be a figure skater." Yakumo slowly puts distance between them again, but holds onto her hands still.

Smirking wryly, Aria looks at him with mischievous eyes. "Whereas on land you have the giraffe coordination and on the ice you're _apparently_ so smooth you can skate backwards while carrying a piece of stumbling driftwood." She laughs, but then starts stumbling again, slipping as she tries to get her footing.

"Here, hang on." Yakumo steadies his arms, allowing her to get firmer footing underneath her. Once she's stopped stumbling, he gives her a warm, gentle smile. "Okay, now… instead of trying to pick your feet up when you walk, try to push one foot after the other, diagonal and back."

Aria blinks, looking at Yakumo incredulously. "One foot? You expect me to—"

Nodding, Yakumo meets her eyes with a gentle and comforting gaze. "Trust me, okay?"

Aria sighs heavily, nodding. "Yeah, yeah, alright. Here we go," she says nervously.

It takes Aria a few blade strokes, but eventually she gets the hang of forward skating. She isn't exactly _elegant_ at it quite yet, and she still stumbles a few times, but eventually, she gets to the point where she instinctively figures out how to turn on the ice. She still holds tightly to Yakumo's hands, and looks carefully down at her feet as he tugs her around the small ice rink. 

The few other people skating around cast them looks now and then, probably because Aria occasionally yelps after a stumble, but Yakumo doesn't pay them any mind and it doesn't seem like Aria does either.

When she's comfortable enough, he teaches her how to stop. Only when she has that down pat does he slip his hands out of hers—despite her fervent protests.

"No!" Aria shakes her head. "No, no… no, what are you doing?"

Yakumo smirks as he skates backwards in front of her. "Proving to you that you can do it on your own."

In her incredulity, Aria's voice has risen in both octave and volume. "I'm gonna fall!" she exclaims. "I'm gonna fall, I'm gonna fall and land on my face and break my nose and then I'm not gonna have the cute Frey nose anymore and it's gonna be _your fault_ because you felt the need to prove a point!" As she rants, she doesn't realize that she's skating normally, naturally, like she's been doing it for years.

With a warm chuckle, Yakumo shakes his head. "Aria," he calls her attention gently.

"No! When I fall and everyone in this ice rink laughs at me, I hope you still love me enough to say 'yeah, that's my girlfriend' because if you don't then that's mean and the Yakumo _I_ love isn't mean like that!" Aria complains.

Yakumo is stunned at first, but he doesn't let it faze him as he glides along backward, keeping himself within reach just on the off chance that Aria does fall. Girlfriend. Aria just called herself his girlfriend. Maybe it's stupid to be so excited about that, but he planned on asking her if it was okay to call her that tonight, so having her just say it so plainly like that… feels better than he expected. He casts her a soft, nervous smile, watching as she stumbles just slightly, but corrects herself without even realizing it.

"Girlfriend, huh?" Yakumo smirks lopsidedly.

Aria blinks. "Huh?"

Biting his lip, Yakumo reaches out to take Aria's hand again. "You called yourself my girlfriend."

"Oh." Aria laughs nervously, then shrugs subtly as she takes his hand. "I mean, if that's not… if you don't—"

It's Yakumo's turn to blink. "No, no I do. I was gonna…" He breathes a laugh and nods. "I was gonna ask you, actually. While we were here. It seems like the next step, doesn't it?"

Aria smiles wide, a happy smile that lights up her whole face. "Yeah, definitely." She takes a more confident skate stroke and puts herself right in Yakumo's space. "Hi."

Yakumo smirks down at her as he lifts a hand and places it on the side of her face. "Hey, Heartbreaker. Guess whose amazing girlfriend figured out how to skate on her own?"

"I… wait, huh?" Aria blinks as she looks down at her feet, and then up at Yakumo. It seems like awareness sinks in and she stumbles a bit, but Yakumo catches her and helps her stay on her feet. "Ugh, you never _point that out_, you goof."

Yakumo laughs and leans in to kiss her, slowing them to a stop and caressing her cheek and holding her close. They've kissed a thousand times at this point. A hundred thousand, maybe. But no matter how many times she kisses him, no matter how many times he holds her in his arms, it still feels just as good as the first. Maybe it's because they're still a new couple, but Yakumo doesn't think so. He thinks it's because… she's the one.

The one he's meant to be with forever.

When the kiss breaks, Yakumo pushes a stray piece of hair behind Aria's ear. No matter how much time passes, he's almost positive that he'll never figure out how he got so lucky as to have her in his life.

"I love you," he tells her.

Aria smiles a million-watt smile; the type of smile Yakumo vows to keep on her face forever. "I love you, too."

They skate for a while longer, before Aria's legs get tired. Yakumo is far more used to skating than she is, so he understands how she tires easier. He feels like he could go for another couple hours, but it's Aria's birthday, and she gets to call the shots.

Truth be told, he'll probably let her call the shots every other day, too.

As they make their way out of the skating rink, Yakumo feels a weight in the lower pocket of his cargo jacket. He reaches up to pat it gently and grimaces. It's just a necklace. It isn't a huge deal. He knows, though, that giving a girl jewelry for her birthday is occasionally seen as a big deal. They just made their relationship clear. Giving her the black gold key necklace feels like it might be a little too much.

Yakumo looks down at the floor as they walk down the hall toward the exit, passing by the locker rooms on the way. It's telling, exactly how new he is to being in a relationship. Louis told him it wasn't something to worry about, that Aria would love the necklace and probably wear it all the time, but even so, Yakumo can't shake the nerves. How does he even broach the topic?

_"Hey, I bet you thought I didn't buy you a birthday present but I did, haha good joke right?"_

In spite of himself, Yakumo huffs humorlessly, unaware that he actually made a sound.

"What's so funny?" Aria asks as she casts him a sidelong glance, concern lining her eyes.

Yakumo jumps to attention. "Oh uh… I…" He laughs awkwardly, then shakes his head sharply and looks at her. "So… I bought you another birthday present."

Aria stares at him for a second, then chuckles. "You… you didn't have to do that! This vacation is so… _huge_, Yakumo, and I—"

"That wasn't just for you, though." Yakumo smiles softly as they step out into the temperate afternoon. He watches her closely. "That was for all of us. This… this is just for you. I wanted to do something special for you, and…"

While Aria stares at him, dumbfounded, Yakumo nervously reaches into his pocket and gently places the long, thin necklace box into her hand. "Happy birthday, Ari," he tells her, smiling nervously.

Yakumo watches her face carefully as she pulls the top from the box. He watches her eyes go wide, her chest rise as she sucks in a long, sharp gasp, and her fingers go down to brush against the black gold key pendant at the end of the chain. She's quiet, which makes Yakumo nervous, but he watches as a small, subtle smile twitches the right side of her lips upward.

"A key?" Aria asks softly.

With a nod, Yakumo murmurs, "Yeah. Because you're the key to my happiness." He watches her attention turn toward him sharply, her eyes sparkling and the grin on her lips growing into a full-blown smile. "And… here, look." He turns the pendant just slightly and shows her the engraving on the stem of the key.

Aria's smile grows. "It's engraved." She cranes her neck to look closer. "_Your love is like a tidal wave_. Pat Benetar?"

Yakumo nods. "I know I said I fell in love with you on our first date, and I think that's when I was sure, but…" He points at the necklace, remembering the look on her face when she'd sang the song the first time, looking directly at him. "I think this was when I started to realize. You were singing, looking right at me, and then you called me your Dream Maker, and… that's when I fell. I just wanted you to—"

He doesn't get a chance to finish his sentence. Aria closes the distance between them in a quick motion, stands on her tiptoes, reaches a hand behind his head, and kisses him like she's trying to pull the breath from his lungs. Truth be told, she doesn't have to try. Every time she kisses him, it takes his breath away.

She breaks the kiss, keeping her hand on his cheek and smiling affectionately up at him.

"I think I knew back then, too." Aria slides her hand down his cheek and lets it fall back to her side. "Can you put this on for me?"

Yakumo takes the necklace from her hands and watches as she sweeps her long, amethyst hair away from her shoulders. He smiles as he clasps the necklace around her neck, but before she turns back around, he leans down to press a soft, tender kiss to the skin she exposed to him.

When Aria turns back around, she meets his eyes with a very significant, increasingly familiar look, and Yakumo has a feeling that they're in for a very exciting night.

If the way Aria grabs his hand and pulls him back into the arena, toward the locker room, is any indication… he's absolutely right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are all official now!
> 
> This was so sickeningly sweet, I think it gave me cavities.


	42. Lourin Go Ice Skating... Sort Of

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ice rink is my favorite scene from this chapter :3

Louis is feeling nervous and for the life of him, he can’t understand why. Compared to everything they’ve been through so far, Louis knows he has nothing to be nervous about, but here he is, taking a wonderful, casual stroll along the boardwalk where the carnival was just the night prior, with Rin. They’re holding hands, fingers intertwined tightly as Rin eats another sugary treat. Louis steals a bite here or there, but he mostly laughs when Rin tries to pull the snack away from him every time.

The boardwalk is a lot less active in the late afternoon than it was last night. Louis supposes he shouldn’t be surprised by that, but there’s something very surreal about the experience, about them holding hands together in the light of day. Back on campus, Rin still hesitates to hold his hand. He hesitates to kiss him outside of class or when the crowd of students grows larger than either of them count, but here, Rin hasn’t hesitated. He takes Louis’ hand, drags him from place to place and steals kisses when Louis doesn’t expect them. 

It reminds Louis of Karen and Aurora, back when they first got together and Karen was unsure of how to approach her relationship with him. He never thought he’d personally get the chance to experience this. He never suspected there was anyone that could make him feel the way Rin makes him feel.

He understands Karen better now.

He chuckles to himself, already imagining the look she’ll give him once he tells her. She's always been way ahead of him in many things and this is just another in a long list of experiences. She’ll gloat about it for days, he’s sure.

Louis snaps back to reality at the feeling of Rin tugging on his arm. He glances down at his boyfriend, surprised to see Rin’s curious eyes on him.

“Sorry, did I zone?” He asks. 

Rin nods, a devilish smirk curling his lips. “Oh yeah, definitely. What were you thinking about?”

“Karen mostly.” Louis smiles slightly at the thought of his sister and rolls his eyes playfully. “I was just thinking about how she’ll be smug when she hears about our vacation.”

Licking his lips, Rin glances at the sugar coating the tips of his fingers. “Why smug?” He asks before sucking on a finger.

“It’s a bit of a long story,” Louis starts, watching Rin in amusement. “But a long time ago, Karen told me the moment I 'understood her feelings' would be the day she could rub it in my face.” At Rin’s confused, yet curious expression, Louis huffs out a laugh. “I’m sure this will come as a shock to you, but in high school, I was very much a recluse. I preferred to spend my time in the company of my books than with people. I didn’t really have friends, per se. Just… classmates. I didn’t  _ really  _ make friends until senior year—” He shakes his head with an amused chuckle, as though dispelling the memory. “—the point is, Karen thought I was a  _ Squidward _ .”

Rin snorts out a laugh. “Did she really call you a Squidward?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t someone people could get close to and most often, Karen believed my inability to smile is what kept people away.” Louis smirks at the memory. “Her words, not mine. To tell you the truth, though, I was okay with it. I didn’t mind being by myself. It was less troublesome that way. I was, as you can imagine, president of the student council and my particular high school had a group of kids who were… a handful… for lack of a better term.”

“It’s okay to call them delinquent, Louis.” Rin teases, nudging him playfully. “I’m pretty sure that's what they were.”

Louis snickers. “They were. This is a very long-winded way of saying I understand what Karen meant back then because I finally got to experience it  _ now _ . She wanted me to have friends, to fall in love and be happy, but high school me felt all of that was unnecessary pressure. I  _ thought  _ I was happy then, and, who knows, perhaps I was to some extent, but I can safely say that I’m the happiest  _ now _ . With you.”

Rin’s smile turns impish again, and its quickly becoming one of Louis’ favorite smiles. “Are you going full sap on me because it’s my birthday? Because I won’t stop you. Please, continue spoiling me.” He purrs.

With a coy grin of his own, Louis casually slips Rin’s birthday gift into his hands. “I intend to,” He adds smoothly. “Happy birthday, love.”

They stop in their tracks as Rin stares between the carefully wrapped present in his hands and Louis. “Where the hell were you hiding this?” he asks. He makes a show of giving Louis a once over, as though imagining all the various nooks and crannies Louis could’ve possibly hid his present.

Louis’ laughter is surprisingly loud in the open air. “Rin, I’ve been carrying your present since we left the hotel. You honestly just have zero awareness about your surroundings. I’m more surprised you never once brought it up.”

“I didn’t know it was for me,” Rin pouts. He slips a finger in between a flap and starts to rip the wrapping paper apart. 

Louis quietly exhales, a part of him saddened. It  _ shouldn’t  _ surprise him. Given the twins' history, Louis thinks getting presents must have been rare, even between themselves. Still, it bothers him more than he’s willing to admit, knowing that he’s lived such a privileged life compared to theirs. It’s a thought he’s carried with him every time Rin’s face lights up with childlike delight during things Louis experiences almost on a day to day. It’s a humbling reminder, and one Louis plans to rectify from here on out.

Rin tears into the wrapping paper like a child on Christmas day. His eyebrows disappear into his ruffled bangs when the small book stares back at him. It’s a journal, made of brown leather and carefully shredded, uneven parchment paper. It's designed to look old and worn, something Louis hopes Rin appreciates as much as he does.

Suddenly, Louis feels nervous again. He clears his throat, for lack of anything better to do, and rubs the back of his neck.

“It’s, er, it’s more than it seems, I assure you.”

Rin glances at him briefly, but his attention falls back onto the journal. He opens it. Louis has the strangest urge to pull a Rin and just…  _ flee _ .

He doesn’t, of course, but watching Rin’s face as he flips through the pages of handwritten words makes him feel more anxious than before. The silence is killing him.

“It’s… it’s a book of poems. I… erm, I wrote them.” Louis glances away from Rin, his nerves getting the better of him. “Most of the later ones are newer. They… you inspired many of them, but it’s been a year in the making. I… I wasn’t  _ planning  _ on using my older pieces but I felt… I wanted you to see… the change.” He feels silly for feeling so embarrassed. And hot. Boiling, actually. He wonders how red his face is right now.

“There are a lot of empty pages in here,” Rin states curiously.

“Yes.” Louis forces himself to stare back at Rin, who watches him unwaveringly. It’s both arousing and nerve-wracking. “I wanted to finish the rest with you.” He explains.

Rin’s smile is breathtaking, but Louis doesn’t get the chance to admire it for long. Rin jumps into his arms and crashes their lips together, and the weight of his sudden movement makes them both stumble. Louis manages to regain his footing and wraps his arms around Rin, holding him close. When they pull away, Rin’s vibrant smile is still in place.

“You have  _ got  _ to teach me how to flirt so effortlessly like you do. You’re way too good for a guy who claims to be more interested in his books.” Rin teases.

Louis laughs shyly. “Literature does teach you a thing or two, you know?”

Rin hugs the journal close to his chest. He takes Louis’ hand again and restarts their stroll. “I’m curious about something. This is entirely unrelated but what high school did you go to?” He grins cheekily to Louis. “What was baby Louis like outside of being a nerdy, bookworm loner?”

Louis hums thoughtfully, recalling a time that seems so far away. “I went to Vein High. I was a transfer, though, in sophomore year. Didn’t become student council president until late Junior year since the previous one quit unexpectedly. It was… an experience.”

“That’s funny,” Rin chuckles. “Ours did too, but that’s because we drove her crazy with our pranks.”

“Oh? Yakumo mentioned you were the pranking type.” Louis brings Rin’s knuckle toward his lips and kisses it, overcome with a sudden wave of affection. “I didn’t realize it extended that far back.” He adds.

Rin nods. “My friends and I were notorious. Well, 'friends.' They weren’t really my friends but when you’re a kid in my shoes, you’re not going to complain about the company you keep. I… kinda do feel bad about it since it was… not a great prank, especially since she quit the student council so quickly thanks to us but, uh…  _ oops _ ?” Rin shrugs helplessly.

Louis watches him, both amused and curious. “You’ll have to tell me the story one of these days. I wonder if you were just as bad as those kids I had to deal with in senior year.”

“I can promise you we were worse.”

Somehow, Louis doesn’t doubt it. Yakumo didn’t tell him much, but the stories he  _ did  _ share lead Louis to believe that high school Rin would’ve been a handful to deal with. Still, he wonders what Rin was like back then. Had they met sooner, would Louis have been able to help them? Or would things still pan out the way they did?

Louis shakes his head, throwing the thoughts aside and taking in the salty scent of the nearby ocean. Dwelling about the impossible won’t change what’s already happened. The best Louis can do is prepare for the future—for  _ their  _ future together. He has one last gift to give Rin, but he doesn’t think it's something he can give now. Not today, at least. The time isn’t right, but soon it will be.

Rin tugs on his hand again, just in time for Louis to see the boy’s eyes light up at  _ another  _ food stand full of cotton candy, chocolate-covered ice cream, and cakes.

“Rin, I love you, but the amount of sugar I’ve watched you consume these past three days is absolutely alarming.”

“So what if I fall into a sugar coma? At least I’ll be happy, right?” Rin grins at him cheekily.

“Aria would kill me if I let you become diabetic,” Louis deadpans.

“Okay, but like, what if she  _ doesn’t  _ though?”

“She will.” Louis drags Rin past the food stand and chuckles at his boyfriend’s childish groan. “Speaking of Aria, they should still be at the ice rink, right? Want to crash the party?”

Purringly impishly, as he draws close to Louis and caresses his jawline sensually, Rin says, “I love the way you think. But first—” Rin pulls away and snaps around so fast, it almost gives Louis whiplash. “—one last pretzel for the trip!”

“ _ Rin! _ ”

* * *

One quick taxi ride to the ice rink later, it occurs to Louis that he’s about to make the biggest fool of himself in front of Rin. He’s never once ice skated in his life. Even when he was helping Yakumo practice all those years ago, Louis was the type who sluggishly wobbled on the ice and prayed to every god he knows that he wouldn’t fall flat on his ass or worse, flat on his nose. Now, as he and Rin hoist their skates toward the stands, he’s wondering how badly will this day go.

Rin calls out for Aria and Yakumo more than once, and when they reach the surprisingly empty ice rink, Rin glances back to Louis with furrowed brows. “Do you think they left already?” 

“It’s possible,” Louis shrugs. “They’ve been here for hours already.” He sits down on a nearby bench and starts to strap on his skates. “Maybe you should message her?”

“Way ahead of you!” Rin says. He sends a series of texts to both Aria and Yakumo and then joins Louis on the bench. “Have you ever skated before?”

“Never,” Louis admits nervously.

“Me either!” Rin beams. “I guess we’ll get bruised together then!”

Louis groans dismally. “Please don’t say that.”

As he starts to strap on his skates, Rin adds: “Well, think of it this way: if I fall and break my wrist, at least I can count on you to take care of me.” He winks at Louis. 

Louis grimaces, not liking the mental image Rin’s statement gives him at all. “Don’t say that either. I don’t want you getting hurt in any capacity if I can help it.”

Once they’re ready, Rin drags Louis out onto the ice. They stick close to the walls, hanging on for dear life. Louis feels ridiculous, hanging off the wall like a terrified toddler, but his stance is wobbly, and every inch of progress he makes feels like it's one too many. Rin giggles beside him even tries to nudge him further, but Louis shoots him a daring look that only makes Rin laugh harder.

“It's only a little bit of ice, Lulu. No need to be scared.” Rin teases him. He reaches for Louis’ fingers and starts to pry them off one by one.

Not for the first time, Louis realizes just how much of a gremlin his boyfriend actually is. “Rin, I swear,” he warns. He hopes his tone is playful, but if it comes across as more serious than he means, he doesn’t quite mind. 

Rin seems undeterred, and his smile turns absolutely evil. “Oh? You  _ swear _ ? What are you going to do about it, Lulu?” He manages to pry one of Louis’ hands off the wall. 

Stumbling, more because of his own panic than Rin’s prying, Louis grabs onto Rin and hangs on for dear life. His boyfriend’s laughter echoes throughout the rink and if it weren’t for the fact that Louis’ heart is racing, he’d find it extremely cute.

“Rin, I  _ swear _ —!!” Louis tries again, but Rin interjects.

“Hang on, we’re gonna slide really far!” Rin lifts a daring skate off the ice and places it against the wall.

Louis shakes his head desperately, eyes widening in horror. “ _ Rin—! _ ”

Rin kicks off of the wall. With his momentum, they slide surprisingly far and toward the center of the rink. Louis panics somewhere along the way, and soon they’re spiraling and fumbling around until finally, they fall together. Louis lands on top of Rin but uses his hand to shield his boyfriend's head from colliding with solid ice. 

They continue sliding, Rin laughing while Louis pants from the terror of it all. Once they stop, Rin clutches onto Louis tightly, his cheeks rosy red. He’s smiling again with that devilish glint in his eyes.

“See? That wasn’t so bad,” Rin teases breathlessly.

“Rin, you are out of your mind,” Louis gasps. He rests his forehead against Rin’s and swallows a breath. “You are… the biggest brat I know.”

“ _ But _ , you love me.” Rin smiles sweetly.

“Too much.” Louis steals a kiss. And then another. And another.

Suddenly, Rin’s hands are all over him, trying to find purchase somewhere on his clothes. Louis doesn’t break their kiss, too busy relishing in Rin’s warmth despite the harsh cold surrounding them. Briefly, he wonders if can they get away with this. How long do they have? Will other people spot them? Check up on them? Are there cameras? He doesn't know, doesn't want to know and doesn't care enough to stop. He's sure of one thing and one thing only: he wants to be with Rin right then and there.

“ _ Whoa _ , red alert, red alert, semi-public hanky panky in the middle of the ice rink!” Yakumo’s voice carries across the empty ice rink.

“ _ These are things a sister should not see her brother doing, ever _ ,” Aria cries, sounding both parts amused and horrified.

“Aw, c'mon, let the repressed nerds have their fun, Ari.” 

Louis jerks away from Rin, but manages not to slide further from where they are. He shoots both of them a dangerous look, his cheeks bright red from a mixture of the cold, embarrassment and his burning need for Rin.

Now that Louis is no longer on top of him, Rin sits up slowly and glances at the duo in front of them. “Where were you two?” He asks curiously.

Yakumo’s face turns red. He clears his throat, but he doesn’t respond. Aria, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to notice Yakumo’s reddening face.

“Our room,” She replies nonchalantly.

Louis scoffs. “That’s not possible. The hotel is a bit away—” He pauses, scrutinizing Yakumo’s appearance. Suddenly, it clicks. “—Oh, I see.” He smirks knowingly.

Rin snorts in amusement. “Wow, how rich. And they were making fun of  _ us _ . At least we have some common decency!”

“ _ Hey _ ! Common decency, says the one who was just about to bang his boyfriend in the middle of the freaking rink!” Aria scoffs. “At least we made it to the lo—” She clears her throat. “Somewhere else!”

“The locker room? Seriously?” Louis deadpans, glancing between both of them. “Have you no shame?”

“No shame at all!” Rin teases. “Shame on you both!”

Yakumo points upward toward the security cameras that hang from the ceiling. “And what about you two,  _ hm _ ? You're lucky the security guard didn't catch you. As a security guard, I know what the fine for public panky, hanky or otherwise, is.” He says.

“I have absolutely no idea what you may be referring to, Yakumo. Rin and I fell. That’s all.” Louis explains, still retaining his nonchalant demeanor. 

Rin nods in exaggeration, playing along. “That’s all!” He parrots.

“And I suppose your hands were under Louis' shirt because you thought that'd be more solid to hang onto, right, Sunshine?” She muses, resting a hand against her hip.

“Absolutely!” Rin exclaims. He starts climbing to his feet, wobbling as he tries to stabilize himself on the ice.

Louis, on the other hand, remains seated.

Yakumo, noticing Louis’ lack of movement, offers a hand to him. “The locker rooms are that way…” he says, pointing out to the main hall on the left. “If you’re interested.” 

Louis takes Yakumo’s hand and rises slowly onto his skates. He latches onto Yakumo’s arm. “I would much appreciate it if you dragged me back to the benches.” Rin chuckles beside him. “ _ Please. _ ”

Aria and Rin's joyous shrieks can be heard as they—very uncoordinatedly—chase each other around the ice rink. Louis hears Aria trying to give Rin the same pointers he’s sure Yakumo gave her, but they're constantly interrupted by giggles and shrieks as both twins slip and occasionally fall.

“They're crazy, aren't they?” Yakumo muses, smiling affectionately as he drags Louis off the ice and toward the bench.

“No  _ fair! _ ” Aria cries out from the center of the rink. “Just because you fall doesn't mean you get to drag me with you, Sunshine! It's my  _ birthday~ _ !”

“It’s mine too!” Rin laughs.

“Yes, they are.” Louis grins. He releases Yakumo the moment he reaches the non-slippery ground and proceeds to hastily unstrap his skates. “I’m glad they’re having fun.”

Yakumo nods, somewhat distractedly. “I made myself… and her, and him, and you, I guess… a promise earlier.” He turns to look at Louis, idly skating around near the bench. “I told myself I was going to strive to make every day like this for all of us. I know it won't always come easy, but I think… they've had enough 'hard' in their lives, you know? They deserve to take it easy.”

Louis stops what he’s doing and stares up at Yakumo. “Funny, I had the same thought today too.” He returns to unstrapping the skates and removing them with a relieved sigh. “Finally.”

“You too, though. You've had enough hardship. Enough 'alone.' I hope you realize that your family has literally grown by three,” Yakumo adds, watching him closely. 

Louis glances up at him in surprise. 

“Dude. I can tell how reflective you've been for the past few days. Weeks, even. Don't forget, I knew you back in high school. Knew that you didn't so much  _ like _ to be alone as that was what you told yourself to make it easier.” Yakumo smiles as he joins Louis on the bench. “But you're not alone anymore. And I don't mean just me. Ari was telling me earlier how wild it is for her to have a best friend. How much she's looking forward to you and Rin getting closer as time goes on.”

Yakumo pauses and smiles, shoving Louis in the shoulder. “And then there's me. You're my brother. Have been since you tutored my dumb ass in high school.” He laughs.

Louis laughs in return. “And to think, I only did it because I thought it was a waste if you flunked out of school. Who knew we’d end up here?”

“It's gonna sound weird, but I think, in a way, I did know.” Yakumo grins. “I think it's a different type of feeling from the one we got when we met Ari and Rin. Sometimes there are these people who you know are made to be in your life. Just like I think… I was made to love Aria, I think I was made to be your brother, too.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Louis admits.

“So… what do you say? Put those skates back on and let me teach you?”

Louis sighs. “Alright, but if you let me make a fool of myself in front of Rin, I  _ will  _ get you back.” He warns playfully.

Yakumo laughs softly. “You didn't let me make a fool of myself in school, the least I can do is keep you from making a fool of yourself in front of your man.”

“Good. I appreciate it.” Louis slips the skates back on and re-straps them. With a light-hearted sigh, he smirks. “Let's try this again.”


	43. The End (I)

Aria has never really seen the holidays as something to look forward to before. Sure, after Coco took them in, she made sure they always had presents, and they always bought things for each other and for her, but it was never a big affair. They never did trees or big dinners, even though Aria could definitely cook them.

This year is different.

For most of the day, Aria has been in the kitchen. The oven has been running all day, cooking a massive roast chicken and roast beef for those who preferred red meat. They've also commandeered Mia and Murasame's oven next door to make Yakumo's pies and cakes. Since they'd invited Mia and Murasame over for the meal, the girls had been more than willing to offer the use of their oven. 

All the work she'd put her own oven through, it was some kind of miracle that it hasn't burned out on them.

The whole apartment smells tempting. Aria has lost count of the times both Rin and Murasame have come to the kitchen, just to ask her when everything would be ready. Yakumo is next door, checking on the pies, so Aria is standing on her own in the kitchen, using the standing mixer Coco had bought her for Christmas to mash the potatoes.

"God, this thing really cuts down on prep time. I was so tired of that hand-mixer," Aria muses idly.

Coco's familiar voice comes from seemingly out of nowhere. "Good. That was the point. The less time you spend prepping food for Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum, and Tweedle Derp, the more time you have to find hobbies that don't include taking care of other people," she muses.

Aria startles, nearly jumping out of her skin. "Jesus _Christ_—"

"Yeah, it _is_ his birthday. Good memory, kiddo," Coco teases.

Though she struggles to catch her breath, Aria manages a breathless laugh. "Good to know your ninja skills haven't faded over the past few months, Coco." She puffs out a breath and scrapes the potatoes from the mixing bowl into one of her new serving dishes—a gift to her from Karen and Aurora.

Smirking wryly, Coco shrugs. "Yeah, well… I had to brush up before I came to see you two. Didn't wanna see any hands below belts, now that the two of you have boyfriends." She plops down in one of the kitchen chairs.

Aria laughs, then rolls her eyes. "Hey, I don't live under your roof now, Coco. I don't have to follow your rules anymore. Now _you're_ under my roof. Does that mean you have to follow my rules?" she asks, her eyes dancing playfully.

Coco's hysterical laughter feels like an insult somehow, but Aria knows better than to complain. Not that she would.

"You need any help in here?" Coco asks.

"Oh, I see. You come in now that all the hard stuff's done." She laughs and hands Coco a peeler and a bag of carrots. "You know what to do."

Coco nods. "Yeah." She sits at the table and starts peeling the carrots. "You know, I know I've been giving you a lot of shit, but I'm really proud of both of you. I mean, when you guys first went away here, I was genuinely concerned that being away from home was gonna eat you alive."

With a rueful laugh, Aria shrugs. "It almost did." She smiles, in spite of it all. "Luckily, we had a pretty solid support system. Outside of you, I mean."

"Yeah, leave it to you guys to end up in your 'one true love' relationships like… three months into your freshman year of college," Coco puffs out an amused laugh.

Aria is tempted to deflect the comment, but she doesn't bother. She knows it's pointless, because deep down, she knows Coco is absolutely right. There's no way in hell she's ever going to let Yakumo get away. She's said it all along: he's the best person to come into her life since Rin, and he came into her life two minutes after her life began.

She smiles at Coco. "So you can tell how deep in I am, huh?"

"Both of you." Coco pauses and laughs. "All four of you, actually. Pretty sure you two managed to find guys who would lay down in traffic for you."

Snorting derisively, Aria peers into the oven at the roast. "They'd better not. I sorta like them in one piece."

Coco and Aria fall into comfortable, casual conversation then. Coco tells her that Carmilla wanted to be there, but she couldn't get out of work. Aria tells Coco the whole story about exactly _how_ they met Louis and Yakumo, but leaves out some of the more colorful details. She leaves Rocky's name out, she leaves out the part where she and Rin almost imploded and where she told Yakumo and Louis about Rin's history.

Maybe it's shame that keeps her quiet, but she has a feeling Coco knows and understands that there's something she isn't saying. She doesn't ask. Instead, she goes into her own explanation of the last few months.

They talk for what seems like forever, while Aria finishes all the side dishes, and only stop when they hear a shout coming from the living room.

"BOOYAH! Eat it, Murasame! You’re dealing with a Smash _champion_," Rin decrees.

Murasame scoffs. "It was a lucky shot! Maybe if you didn’t spam the A button so much, I could’ve actually whooped your ass!" she snaps.

In his classic bratty victory voice, Rin asks, "Sorry what? I can’t hear you over the sounds of your whining!"

Aria laughs. "Wow, it's usually Yakumo he's complaining at. Or me." She looks around the living room. "Is he still checking on those pies?"

"I'll go make sure your brother and Murasame don't kill each other." Coco laughs. "Or Mia, when she inevitably tries to intervene. Karen and Aurora seem more amused than anything else, so I doubt they'll do anything to help."

Laughing, Aria rolls her eyes. "Oh sure, leave me in here to slave away in the kitchen like a modern-day Cinderella." She sighs dramatically.

As Coco is walking away, she laughs. "You say that like you don't enjoy every second of it, Kiddo. Hey! Clown and Tweedle Derp! Cool it!"

Aria's laughter continues as she watches Rin and Murasame continue to bicker, and she turns around and spreads the base for the cheese pizza casserole, which is one of the only sides she knows Rin will eat. She's so lost in her cooking that she doesn't even notice a pair of footsteps heading into the kitchen until they're already peering over her shoulder.

"Looking good, Aria," Louis announces.

She smirks over her shoulder. "What, me or the food? Either way, you earn brownie points, so I guess it doesn't matter."

Louis laughs softly. "Complimenting the chef every once in a while ensures I’ll get bigger helpings." He relaxes in a kitchen chair. "But the food does smell wonderful."

Aria nods sagely. "A wise man. Don't worry, I made extra stuffing on the side just for you, too. Since you've taken such good care of our Sunshine." She chuckles and gathers the breadcrumbs to sprinkle on the top of the casserole. "Not an easy task, so you earned it."

Louis' expression lights up. "I look forward to it. Need any help? Or will I only be getting in the way?"

"Nope, I'd _love_ help, since my previous helper abandoned me to go break up the war between your boyfriend and our neighbor." She puffs out a laugh. "Actually. That reminds me of something. I have one more present for you, and you just made me think of it." She gestures to the pizza casserole. "Can you stick this in the oven while I grab it?"

Louis blinks, obviously surprised. "Sure." 

As Louis is taking care of the oven, Aria runs over to the far drawer in the kitchen and opens it. She procures a notebook, similar to the one Louis gave her but not _exactly_ the same. Inside it are the exact same recipes that she used to fill the cookbook he gave her for her birthday. She brushes a couple errant pieces of drawer debris from the cover of the book, walks over to Louis, and hands it to him.

"I got this idea basically right after you gave me the cookbook for my birthday." She smiles warmly. "I figure… if you're going to be taking care of Sunshine, you need to know how to cook like his favorite cook in the world."

The expression on Louis' face morphs from confusion, to realization, and then to surprise. He takes the book gingerly and looks through the recipes. "Aria, this… are you sure?"

Aria nods. "You know me well enough to know that I don't do things I'm not sure of." She chuckles. "Some of the pages have little sun drawings on them, which means they're his favorites. Some have little open books on them." She points at the page he's on, which has one. "Those are the ones I know you'd like or I think you'd like."

Louis reads the recipe for a moment then smiles warmly at her. "Thank you. This is a beautiful gift, Ari."

A wide smile spreads across Aria's face. "Hey. You gave me the gift of a happy Sunshine, so I think it's the least I can do." She pauses and then goes back to putting together the last of the sides. When she speaks again, her voice is quiet. "So, I'm curious about something. Mind if I ask?"

Once Louis settles the book down on the counter, away from all the food preparation, he turns to her. "Go ahead."

Quietly, so only he can hear, Aria asks, "Do you plan on asking Sunshine to be your roommate next semester?"

Louis blinks in surprise. "That was the plan." He's quiet for a moment, and Aria is almost sure he's composing himself. "What gave it away?"

Aria laughs. "Well, first of all, you're not exactly subtle. I've noticed lately that you've been asking me for more and more homemaking tips and things you'll need to do for 'someday.'" She grins over her shoulder at him. "Plus, I figured with Yakumo starting up with the spring semester, I'd have heard something about you asking him to be your roommate, but nothing. One-plus-one-makes-two, yeah?"

Ducking his head bashfully, Louis chuckles. "I admit, it was a thought, but I figured you would have just a bit more fun with Yakumo around," he explains.

"Well, I'd hope so," she chuckles.

Then, she pauses. She turns to Louis with a serious look on her face. It's not a hard look, but it definitely clearly illustrates that what she's got to say has a slightly more serious air to it than their lighthearted conversation up to this point. She manages a smile as she nods.

"Let me start off by saying I don't disapprove. I actually think it's a great idea. Like I said back at the carnival, I think you stand a better chance than I do at providing him with what he needs now." She pauses, her gaze falling for a second, before she looks back up and meets his eyes. "And I do think he'll say yes. I'm almost positive, actually. I'm just…" She laughs halfheartedly. "It'll be the first time we've ever been apart like that, so I just want to prepare you for how… it probably won't be super easy at first. For any of us."

Louis nods in understanding, expression warm and soft. "I’d be surprised if it wasn’t hard, to be honest. And I’m hoping it’ll give us all the opportunity to better understand each other in the process. You’re a big provider and supporter in his life. It’s a little selfish of me to say it but… I want to be that for him too."

Shaking her head as she approaches him, Aria hugs him, almost out of the blue. "I don't think that's selfish, Louis. I think that's natural. You love him. You want to be what he needs, and I think that says a lot about how much you love him. It's literally half the reason I approve so much of you guys being together."

The smile on Louis' face is far more genuine than Aria expects it to be. "Thank you."

Aria releases him from the hug and smiles. "You know what I think you should do right now?"

Louis chuckles lightly. "What’s that?"

"I think you should go out there, get him, bring him to the porch, and ask him," she says plainly. "I don't think you should wait. Because… if you get an answer, I can ask Yakumo, and then we can all have our answers and plenty of time to brace ourselves."

Louis seems taken off guard. "You sure? I can’t promise I’ll be able to control what he’ll do. Good or bad."

"Louis. How well do you think I know him?" Aria asks him flatly.

With a good-natured smirk, Louis nods. "Well enough."

She points at Rin. "Then trust me, hm? Go before I smack you with this spatula and make you go."

"I’m going, I’m going!" Louis complies with a laugh.

~

Louis is still chuckling as he steps out of the kitchen and into the rowdy living room. Coco and Aurora are currently in the middle of a hushed conversation that makes Louis curious, but not curious enough to ask. They’re each holding a cup full of Rin’s spiked holiday punch and Louis wonders if, perhaps, he should give Coco the heads up. Or even Karen, who seems to think leaving Aurora unattended with holiday punch is a great idea.

He shakes his head in amusement and taps Rin’s shoulder just as the result screen of their latest match finally pulls up. Rin turns to him, eyes wide with curiusity. Louis is fully aware of Murasame’s penetrating stare, watching them. Idly, he wonders where Mia’s gone off to. Of all the days for the people he needs most to be around, they’re suspiciously absent.

“Mind if I borrow you for a second?” Louis asks warmly. “There’s something I want to ask.”

A smile stretches across Murasame’s lips as her eyes flit between both of them. “Is it a proposal?” She teases, though by the hopeful look in her eyes, Louis knows that's exactly what she wants to hear.

Rin’s eyes widen like saucers and Louis can’t help but want to laugh, cry and perhaps strangle Murasame with Aria’s decorative pillow for putting the thought in Rin’s head.

“It’s a shame you will never know, Murasame,” Louis responds nonchalantly.

She looks scandalized, and Louis doesn’t stop the bark of laughter that escapes him as he whisks Rin away from the living room. He’s aware of every eye watching him in the apartment. He tries not to feel nervous. After grabbing both of their coats, offering Rin's to him and slipping his own on, he leads Rin outside onto the porch, carefully closes the door behind them. He intertwines their fingers and kisses Rin’s knuckles. 

“Let’s go for a walk,” He suggests. 

Rin smirks coyly. “Is this so that Murasame doesn’t spy on us?”

“Absolutely.”

Rin laughs. They make their way past Mia and Murasame’s house, just as Yakumo and Mia step out of the apartment carrying the freshly baked treats. Louis feels Rin’s resistance, and sees the way his boyfriend's eyes are immediately drawn to the sweets, but Louis doesn’t stop. He doesn’t let Rin stop either. He waves at them as he and Rin pass, and pulls Rin closer.

“Wow, this must be serious. You didn’t let me steal some pie.” Rin quips with a giggle.

Louis chuckles lightly. “I wouldn’t have let you even if it wasn’t. That’s for everyone, you know.”

Rin’s grin is infectious. “Doesn’t mean I can’t eat a few.” He leans into Louis’ warmth and releases a deep, content sigh. “What’s on your mind, Lulu?”

“You. Always.” Louis replies truthfully.

Rin laughs again. “Oh, what a coincidence. You’re also on my mind.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Mhm! I was just thinking ‘wouldn’t it be great if Louis could take me somewhere private so we can get a quick bone in before dinner’? And lo and behold! We’re almost to your apartment and we both know damn well that no one will be there.”

Louis hums playfully. “Wow, you saw right through me,” he quips.

Rin’s face lights up in pleasant surprise. “Wait, Is that what we’re going to do? Seriously?” His eyes are hopeful as he searches Louis’ face for an answer.

“It’s a possibility.” Louis smirks coyly. “It’s not the reason why I asked you to take a walk with me, though.”

Rin tilts his head sideways. “Then what is?”

“Well, I’m looking for a roommate.” Louis states casually.

“Yeah, and? Yakumo is starting school next semester. Isn’t he going to be your roommate?”

Louis shakes his head gently. “No, he seems more interested in wanting to be Aria’s roommate.” He explains, glancing at Rin meaningfully.

Rin’s frown only seems to intensify. He’s not catching Louis’ hint and Louis can’t help but think it’s absolutely adorable. “Yeah but… there’s only two rooms in our duplex,” Rin responds slowly.

“And there’s an empty bed in mine.”

Rin pauses and stares into Louis’ eyes searchingly. “Wait, hang on. Are you asking me to be your roommate so Yakumo can move in with Aria?”

“Essentially.” Louis smiles.

“A-are you serious?”

“I’m always serious.”

They stop walking and Rin turns to him completely. “Louis, I don’t think you understand what you’re asking. You’re asking _me_, Rin Frey to be your roommate.”

“I am aware, yes.” Louis deadpans, though the growing smile on his face is hard to hide.

Rin stares at him for a long moment, and the quickly-changing expressions on his face are hard to read. Just when Louis thinks the silence has stretched for far too long, Rin speaks up again: “You do realize you’re never going to get a good night's rest next semester. Ever.”

Louis laughs. “If you’re making a sexual joke without giving me a proper answer, I’m going to eat your portion of cake, Rin.”

Rin throws himself into Louis’ arms, their lips crashing together in a desperate, joyous kiss.

“_Hell yes_, Louis! Of course!” Without giving Louis a chance to speak, Rin is already dragging him to Louis’ front porch. “Can we celebrate now? Before we head back? Please?”

“Alright, alright,” Louis responds breathlessly, just as joyous. He pulls Rin back into his arms and kisses him again. “A quick one. Before Aria starts to worry.”

Rin’s exuberant laughter is the only confirmation he gets.


	44. The End (II)

It's a miracle that Yakumo and Mia managed to get the pies and cakes past Rin without him stealing them. If not for Louis pulling him away, Yakumo would've had no chance, and the pies wouldn't have lasted to dessert. Now, they're all cooling on the counter, and Yakumo is joining Aria at the kitchen table as she chops up some vegetables for the snacks she keeps bringing to the living room.

The devotion Aria has to helping people, to providing and serving and cooking and cleaning… it's admirable, but sometimes he worries that she puts  _ too _ much work into it. Thanksgiving had been just like this. There had been one fewer person, since Coco was unable to make it for that particular holiday, and she'd worked so hard to cook the perfect meal for everyone that she'd spent most of the rest of the weekend relaxing.

It was surprising, the way she'd actually  _ let _ Yakumo, Rin, and Louis take care of her that weekend. Somehow, he foresaw this weekend ending much the same. She was working just as hard as she had when he'd gone next door to put the pies in, and that was almost an hour ago.

She's had a revolving door of helpers all day, which is nice, but for the most part, she's been doing it all herself. He knows she wouldn't have it any other way, and she'll never complain, but… she needs a more permanent helper. Yakumo decides that'll be him, and takes a second kitchen knife from the block. He takes the bag of celery stalks and sits next to her.

He starts cutting it into small, dippable pieces and then turns to look at her. "When was your last break, Heartbreaker?" he asks.

"What, of hearts? A long time ago." Aria grins wryly.

Yakumo laughs. "No, not of hearts. I meant—" He gestures out to the kitchen, to the counters, which are almost completely full of food. "—this. You've been at it pretty much all day. You were working when I left and you're working now that I'm back. Have you even taken a break?"

"If I say yes, will you believe me?" she asks.

Shaking his head, Yakumo snakes his arms around her middle. "Nope."

Aria chuckles. "I knew it was a longshot." She finishes slicing a carrot, then tilts her head back to look up at him. "I'll take a break later."

"You mean when everyone leaves?" He smirks wryly.

She puffs out a breath and leans over to press a kiss to his cheek. "How'd I get so lucky as to have a boyfriend who worries about me like you do, huh?" She slices a freshly rinsed cucumber, then sets it on the large vegetable tray.

Yakumo slides away from her and leans on the counter next to her. "Why don't you let me finish this, Ari? You just relax for a few minutes."

Aria breathes out another slow breath, then sets the knife down on the table. "Fine, fine. You win. You and that cute little smirk are pretty much impossible to resist." She glances into the living room, then laughs aloud when she sees Aurora and Karen playing the clumsiest round of Tekken she's ever seen in her life.

With a grin, Yakumo asks, "So that's all it takes, huh?"

Aria's response, whatever it may have been, dies on her lips as she looks up at the front door to the apartment. It's just swung open, sending a blast of cold air into the incredibly warm apartment. Yakumo follows Aria's gaze, and is equal parts surprised and not surprised at  _ all _ to see a slightly disheveled Louis and Rin walking into the apartment. Louis' hair is mussed, and while it can easily be explained by the mild winter wind that blows outside, Yakumo knows better.

The satisfied grin on Rin's face says more than words could possibly say.

What surprises him more than anything is the way Louis looks at him briefly, then turns to Aria, giving her a thumbs up and a nod before joining everyone else on the couch. Yakumo blinks, then turns back to Aria, who has a grin spreading across her face. She relaxes in her chair, and leans sideways, letting her head come to rest on Yakumo's shoulder. He hears her breathe a sigh of relief, and his curiosity gets the better of him.

"Okay, I'll bite," Yakumo tells her. As if to punctuate his point, he bites into a mushroom from the vegetable tray. "What was that all about?"

Aria laughs gently. "Oh. Louis just asked Rin to be his roommate next semester, and he said yes. I was  _ almost _ a hundred percent positive that he'd say yes, but there was a teeny tiny part of me that was worried that he'd say no and I'd have to worry about an anxious Sunshine later. And then Louis would be mad at me because I assured him that Rin would say yes and our whole friend circle would come crashing down around us just because I assumed I knew my brother better than I thought I did." She lifts her head, letting her chin come to rest on Yakumo's shoulder.

Yakumo turns toward her, catches her lips in a brief kiss. "But you were right and now everything's fine."

She pauses and bites her lip. "Well…  _ mostly _ everything. There's still one thing that needs settling."

"What's that?"

Aria laughs nervously. "Wow you're really… gonna make me come out and say it, huh?" She pushes his bangs behind his ear and then turns back to look at the table. "Well… that leaves me with a free room."

Yakumo blinks. "Oh." He pauses, realization dawning on him suddenly. " _ Oh _ . Wait. What do you—"

With a shrug, she smiles nervously. "I mean… there's no rule saying we actually  _ need _ to use that second bedroom as a bedroom, right? We could put your punching bag in there, and maybe a couple other things, use it as a workshop or an office space, which I know doesn't really make much sense because it's just for a semester, but it'd almost be like we were practicing for when we had our own  _ real _ apartment someday, you know?"

She doesn't stop, not letting Yakumo get a word in edgewise.

"And I know we could technically  _ have _ our own apartment if we just moved into yours but this works perfectly for both of us because Rin is right down the street living with Louis and we're close to campus so we don't have to get up at like seven in the morning every day to get to class on time, you know? And if you live on campus you can drop one of your jobs so you weren't always super dead tired on Mondays and—"

Aria still shows no sign of stopping, so Yakumo turns toward her, silencing her with a slow, tender kiss. He pushes some stray hairs that fell from her bun behind her ear, then meets her eye with a little chuckle.

"If I'm catching your meaning… you want me to be your roommate next semester?"

Aria nods, her eyes nervous, pleading, and worried like they always are.

Yakumo captures her lips in another slow kiss. "Well what kind of idiot would I have to be to say no to that?"

He takes her hand, brushing his thumb over the top of it and watching a smile, bright enough to light the whole room, spread across her face. No matter how many times he sees that smile, it'll always be the most beautiful thing he's ever seen in his life. "Practice for our own real apartment, huh?" 

With a nervous chuckle, Aria worries her lip. "I really said that, didn't I?"

"You did." Yakumo brushes his thumb along her lower lip and meets her eyes, hoping that she catches the real, genuine happiness he feels at the mere concept of her wanting to stick with him long enough to make that a reality. "Maybe even a house instead. A dream house. Like that one on the hill in town."

A sheepish smile spreads across her face. "As long as our brothers live close by." She chuckles.

Yakumo grins. "Like Louis and I would ever try to separate you two."

Aria relaxes against his shoulder, and Yakumo can't deny his relief at how she's actually willing to take a break this time. Somehow, he still has a feeling that he, Louis, and Rin will be cleaning up the leftovers while Aria sleeps on the couch; that Yakumo will end up carrying a passed out Aria up to her room. Even so, she still seems genuinely happy to work like this, to feed her friends and family.

Yakumo doesn't know what he did to deserve such an amazing woman in his life. Whatever it was, though, he counts his lucky stars every day, and he swears—to her and to himself—to do whatever he can to make sure they stay just this happy for the rest of their lives.

* * *

Rin feels like he’s going to throw up. It’s a good throw up, though. An excited one. It’s the type of jittery, anxious, excitement he gets when he’s just discovered an amazing new project or when he's going to a new place for the very first time. He’s practically buzzing on the couch, trying to contain all his joy and energy when the front bell rings. He glances over his shoulder as Louis opens the door and nearly screams at the sight of Eva and Jack. They’re carrying bags upon bags that Louis and Karen manage to take from their hands, but more importantly, Jack is holding a white box and whatever is inside smells  _ divine. _

He doesn’t approach them, though. He watches them from the couch—well, he watches  _ Jack _ from the couch. While Mia and Murasame distract Coco and Aurora with their round of Tekken, Rin’s eyes are focused squarely on Jack. The older man excuses himself from the group and Rin watches him until he disappears into the bathroom. Rin immediately sneaks off into the kitchen.

“Why is Jack in our apartment and who thought it was a good idea?” Rin half-whispers, half-shrieks.

Making his way out to the living room, while Aria takes food out of the oven, Yakumo says, “Ari and I invited them last weekend.” He laughs. “Hey, Eva.”

“Good evening!” Eva greets with a polite, bright smile. “We come bearing gifts and assorted fruit tarts!”

“Hey, didn't anyone tell you guys  _ I'm _ the baker around here?” Yakumo jests, chuckling.

It’s in that moment, Jack decides to rejoin them from the bathroom. “Is there a problem with  _ my  _ fruit tart, Shinonome?” He asks, quirking a sharp brow upward.

Yakumo shrugs nonchalantly. “Beats the hell outta me, dude. Just didn't know you baked. Put 'em on the counter with all the other stuff if you want.” He gives Jack a handshake hug, and then kisses Eva on the cheek.

Rin watches Jack leave the white box on the counter with the rest of the sweets. He eyes Rin for a moment but doesn’t say a word. He disappears into the living room with the others.

“Honestly, I feel so attacked right now.” Rin murmurs. He casually heads for the desert counter when he thinks no one is looking. “Ari, why would you let Yakumo invite  _ him  _ of all people?”

Aria laughs. “Because they're our friends. Obviously.” She shrugs.

Rin sticks his tongue out playfully. “Gross.” He tries to sneakily open the assorted fruit tart box. “You know he’s killed people?”

Aria smacks Rin’s hand away from the box. “I can't believe you  _ actually _ fell for that.” She laughs and it does nothing to assuage the pout from his lips.

Rin tries not to think back to a few days ago when Jack told him he’d murdered patrons for fun. Back then, Rin was tipsy just enough to believe Jack’s words without a hint of doubt. Hell, even without the drinks, Rin is positive he’d believe Jack anyway. The dude is  _ scary _ —hot, but  _ scary _ .

From the couch, Rin hears Eva say, “For what it's worth, I  _ told _ him not to start off with that story with Rin. Given his… naivety?” She smiles sweetly at Rin.

Over his shoulder, while still trying to sneak a pastry from the counter, Rin calls out: “I am  _ not  _ naive!”

“You absolutely are,” Murasame cuts in from somewhere in the living room.

“Most certainly,” Mia adds.

“I mean you  _ did _ believe it, Sunshine,” Aria smirks at him.

Rin peels open the fruit tart box easily. “Okay but like, have you seen his face? Dude’s straight up a mafia boss,” he explains.

Aria urgently tugs Rin away from the counter and away from the fruit tart. “ _ After _ dinner. Louis, a little help!” She calls out.

“Come on Rin, you can wait a little longer.” Louis laughs, taking him from Aria.

“I wanna know what kind of sweets Jack makes!”

“They’re damn good, brat,” Jack says, appearing behind him.

Rin screeches and cowers behind Louis. 

Louis shakes his head with a sigh. “Must you?”

“Absolutely,” Jack smirks smugly. 

“Come on, Jack, please don't kill my brother. I kinda prefer him alive.” Aria laughs again. 

Jack grunts, looking somewhat disappointed. “You’re no fun, Aria.” He mutters.

Rin watches them all with wide, disbelieving eyes. “My murder is not  _ fun! _ ” he squeaks.

“Alright, alright, save talk of murder for after dinner, please,” Yakumo says. He turns to look at Jack, with a smug grin of his own. “Think you can do that?”

“It’ll be a terrible challenge, but if I must,” Jack deadpans. He turns away from the group and joins Eva in the living room.

“Good, because the buffet is all set,” Aria announces. “And I swear to every deity if I see a  _ single _ sweet on your plate before dessert time, I'm gonna explode, Rin.” She makes a face at him, then turns to Louis. “You're in charge of keeping him from diabetes, I hope you can handle the job.”

“What do you think I’ve been doing all this time?” Louis quips.

Rin is scandalized, but he doesn’t let Aria’s threat keep him from making a beeline for the desert counter. He does, however, get intercepted by Louis and is forced to fill his plate with actual dinner. Not that he  _ minds _ , it’s just that… Rin’s sweet tooth is stronger than his desire for savory foods. Nevertheless, he gets his dinner and joins everyone in festive chatter and funny stories. Drinks, non-alcoholic and otherwise, get passed around the living room.

Aria’s food is divine, as it usually is, but there’s something about  _ this  _ meal that seems better than everything she’s made in the past years. Maybe it has something to do with Rin’s amazing mood or the fact that they’re sharing a home-cooked meal with family and friends? Regardless, it’s the most delicious meal he’s ever had in his life, and he hopes things like this will happen more often.

When desert time finally rolls around, and the chatter from earlier slows to content murmurs and sweet smiles, Rin finds himself in Aria’s company, carrying a plate with all sorts of pies, cakes and sweets.

“So… Louis asked me to be his roommate,” Rin starts after a moment of silence.

Aria smirks into her piece of cherry pie and glances at him. “I know. He told me he was gonna do it and I suggested he do it today.”

“I figured you had a hand in it.” Rin giggles, though it doesn’t last long. Concern washes over his face as he watches her closely. “You gonna be okay? I mean, I know it’s just a five-minute walk from here but… I won’t get to see you at night anymore.”

Aria goes quiet. She looks at her plate and breathes a subtle laugh. “I mean, I dunno, it'll be hard at first. But I'll get used to it. I know it has to happen sooner or later, you know? Things couldn't be like this forever.”

Quietly, somberly, Rin nods and says, “Yeah… I know… but… I can still come over every once in a while, right?”

“Every  _ day _ if you want to.” She laughs, but as she looks down at her plate again, Rin can see the emotion lining her eyes. "I'd be more offended if you didn't t-b-h."

He throws an arm around her shoulders and pulls her closer to him. “I feel kinda stupid but… I already miss you.”

Aria puts her plate on the coffee table and gives Rin her full attention, leaning her head on his shoulder. “I know what you mean. I think… “ She swallows thickly. “I think it's because things are different now, you know? You're used to  _ me _ taking care of you, but…”

“Yeah… yeah…” Rin carefully sets his plate beside hers and wraps his arms around her completely “I’m going to see you every day and annoy you and Yakumo and nothing is going to be different except it will be different but… we’ll be the same. Except better. You know?”

Aria nods, but buries her head on his shoulder, murmurs: “Louis is gonna take good care of you, too.” She lifts her head and looks at him, trying to pretend she isn't crying but it's obvious that she is. “I know I say it all the time, I know you're probably tired of hearing it, but I'm… I'm  _ so _ proud of you, Sunshine. For loving him. For letting him love you.”

“And  _ I’m  _ proud of  _ you  _ for taking the risk with Yakumo even when I know you were terrified to do so.”

“It's dumb but…” Aria laughs at her own expense “I'm gonna miss you needing me. Does that sound dumb?”

“No, not at all, because I’m never going to stop needing you. You’ll just… share the load with Louis.” Rin laughs wetly.

Aria’s smile is genuine but small. There’s a flash of relief in her eyes that makes Rin feel relief in turn. “And… and Yakumo. He's our family too.” She wipes the bottoms of his eyes and smirks. “You're totally crying.”

“You are too. I was just being polite.” Rin teases. 

Through teary eyes, a scandalized look crosses Aria’s face. “You? Polite? Who are you and what have you done with my Sunshine?” She quips.

Rin laughs and presses a noisy, messy kiss to her forehead. “You’re such a nerd, Ari.”

“Takes one to know one.” She lifts his hand and uses it to wipe the moisture his smooch left behind from her forehead. “Luckily, that's just part of why I love you so much.”

Louis slides into Rin’s side. “I can agree with that,” He says, holding out a drink for the both of them. “Shall we toast?”

Yakumo appears behind the couch and presses a kiss to the top of Aria's head. “Sounds like a plan. What're we toasting to?” He asks.

Aria clears her throat, looks between each of them, then down to her glass, and smiles. “How about… to the end of one chapter leading to the beginning of another?”

In unison, they all raise their glasses and toast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congratulations! You made it to the very end of "Make Them Gold!"
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has stuck around from start to finish and to those in the future who may read this story of ours ♥ Writing this story was really fun. Lizi and I managed to complete the first draft in about a month and it took us two months to get this version of the story done. It was one hell of a journey! We ended up printing ourselves a book copy because we loved it so much.
> 
> We hope this story was a source of entertainment to everyone during their time in quarantine and that the twins were as enjoyable to read as they are to write.
> 
> We still have a lot of stories planned for the Code Vein gang, so if you're interested in the Frey Twins and their friends, there's more to come! ^^
> 
> See you next time, lovelies!
> 
> ♥ Vega
> 
> This has been... such a journey!
> 
> This fic means a whole lot to me for several reasons. Firstly, because Aria is my first relative-OC who I've ever really shared work for before. Secondly because this fic brought Vega and I together as friends and really bonded us for life. Thirdly because I really just love the quartet. Lastly, it means so much to me because it was easy to write from start to finish, and never stopped being fun!
> 
> I'm very proud of everything Vega and I managed to accomplish with this.
> 
> With all that in mind, I have some thank yous to write!
> 
> To Namco, for creating a universe like CV that was so immersive and fun to write and had characters like Yakumo and Louis.
> 
> To Vega, for being a cool, amazing, and wonderful friend and writing soulmate.
> 
> And to every single person who read (& commented! - V) this fic and made us feel like we weren't just screaming into the void!
> 
> Thanks for Making Them Gold with us!
> 
> ♥ Lizi

**Author's Note:**

> Come find us!
> 
> BlueCrownFics:  
[Twitter](https://twitter.com/VegaFics)  
Liziscribbles:  
[Twitter](https://twitter.com/lizibabbles)  
[tumblr](https://lizibabbles.tumblr.com/)


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